Well-known Thohoyandou taxi owner Mr William Nethononda, who was gunned down assassination style, was laid to rest during the weekend.
Nethononda (71) of Block F Thohoyandou and a senior member of the Venda-Johannesburg Taxi Association met his untimely death in what many believe to be the ongoing taxi violence killings after being tailed by an assassin to his home.
He had a premonition about his death as he had been receiving death threats for some time and he went to the extent of hiring a security guard who guarded his property during the night.
Information at Limpopo Mirror's disposal is that on that day he left for the taxi rank and it was only when he returned home that an attacker shot him in cold blood just at the gate of his house. The assailant is alleged to have sped away in a GP-registered Yaris after the shooting.
Nethononda was buried during an emotional service at the CWC Church at Manii in Thohoyandou on Saturday. The funeral followed a memorial service that took place on Thursday. It was attended by many taxi operators, traditional leaders, representatives from the different taxi bodies, family and friends of the slain taxi owner.
The funeral was conducted by CWC founder Dr William Madzinge. Speakers during the funeral were in unison in calling for an end to the senseless killing of taxi operators and sometimes passengers who get caught in the crossfire.
The chairperson of the South African National Taxi Council Women's Desk, Ms Memory Madigoe, condemned the killing, saying it portrayed a bad and dim image of the taxi business, while at the same bringing grief to families who lose their loved ones during the killings. "This is going too far. We have had enough of these senseless killings of our people. What does a person gain from killing a fellow human being? These killings paint a bad image of the business and make it look evil."
She further urged the deceased's wife, Ms Joyce Nethononda, to pick up the baton and continue running the business, promising her full support. The representative of the Venda-Johannesburg Taxi Association, Mr Mudeli, said Nethononda was an asset to the association and was always available whenever they needed him. He described his death as a big blow to the family as well as the industry.
He reiterated a call to members of the association not to resort to violence whenever they have problems. "We have enough of these killings. What type of business thrives on the killing of its members? This must come to a stop once and for all," said Mudeli.
The grief-stricken wife of the deceased, Ms Joyce Nethononda, said his death had torn her heart into pieces. "My husband was everything to me. He was my friend and everything to me and the family. We will always miss the good moments we had together and the evening prayers we held with our children every night," she said.
Nethononda was laid to rest at the Mbaleni cemetery.