Families of taxi marshals shot in Soweto view the bodies of their loved ones

JOHANNESBURG - The families of taxi marshals who were shot in Soweto on Monday have identified the bodies of their loved ones after they were killed in a shooting incident.

Zulu drive-in Mofolo was brought to a standstill on Monday when three men in a patrol vehicle were shot and killed on the scene.

The marshals were employed by the Witwatersrand African Taxi Association (WATA), which has been in a decade-long war with the Nancefield-Dube West Taxi Association (Nanduwe).

However, there is no evidence of the latter’s involvement in the attack.

ALSO READ: 3 people shot and killed in Soweto

The families of the victims of today’s attack stood on the hill of Zulu Drive, watching as forensic investigators moved around the vehicle where their loved ones lay for hours.

Zinhle Msweli says her brother, 47-year-old Bongani Buthelezi, was often lucky to flee whenever these attacks would strike.

But on Monday his luck ran out.

"We would often tell him that we do not like the work that he does. In the recent shootings, he would escape. But clearly there was nothing he could do because this is how he could make a living for his wife and children."

Nora Madela lost her nephew in today’s shooting.

"I can’t even speak. I was with him on Saturday.I don’t know what to say, I am broken."

As Msweli, Madela and other family members walked back from seeing the bodies of their loved ones lying on Zulu Street, they all returned with hands covering their mouths, battling to hold back the tears.