The National Taxi Alliance says it will remember its slain taxi chairperson, Thamsanqa Moyo, as a unifier and a fighter for the economic liberation of its members.

The 58-year-old was shot and killed in Soweto last Thursday.

It is reported that at the time of his death, Moyo was on his way to a meeting in Honeydew.

On Monday, members of the alliance visited Moyo’s home in Dube, Soweto, with spokesperson Theo Malele, saying the incident should not have happened as Moyo was a man of peace.

“It is very difficult, and it is a sombre moment, but we are joining hands and forging ahead even with heavy hearts. The family is devastated by the loss, but they are comforted by his work of trying to bring people together and unite everyone behind black economic empowerment, which he fought so hard to achieve within our industry,” Malele said.

Malele said the funeral and memorial service for the taxi boss are at an advanced stage, with a memorial service planned for Thursday.

“We are in talks with the UJ Soweto campus for his memorial service, which will start at 10am on Thursday. We envisage that his funeral will be on Saturday at the same venue. As an industry, we will pick up from where Moya left off because he was a great leader who preached unity and not bloodshed,” Malele stated.

Following his assassination last week, the Gauteng Transport Department slammed the death in light of recent incidents of violence that have engulfed the taxi industry, with departmental spokesperson Lesiba Mpya describing Moyo as a visionary leader.

“He was very calm and collected. He was very professional, a man of his word.”

In what has been reported as a taxi-violence-related incident, the Gauteng police have since launched a manhunt for the suspects who were reportedly travelling in a minibus taxi and a Toyota Yaris.

In a statement, the MEC  for transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela strongly condemned the killing, saying: “This is a devastating loss to the taxi industry and to Gauteng as a whole. Moyo was a leader who played an important role in shaping dialogue within the industry and promoting stability. His untimely death is a blow to ongoing efforts to build peace, unity, and sustainable solutions within the taxi sector.”

siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za

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