By Anita Dangazele
- Six men died in a shootout with police after a high-speed chase on the N2 highway in the Eastern Cape.
- A notorious Western Cape criminal and taxi boss who terrorised communities was among those killed.
Feared taxi boss and alleged extortionist Yanga Bara Nyalarha died along with five others in a dramatic gun battle with police on the N2 highway between Cofimvaba and Butterworth.
The shooting happened at 2pm on Thursday near Ndabakazi village, about 5km from Butterworth.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said officers from the National Intervention Unit (NIU) got a tip-off about two cars carrying guns travelling from Cofimvaba.
“Police spotted the vehicles near Cofimvaba and tried to stop them, but the suspects sped off. A chase ensued, and backup was called. When the suspects reached Ndabakazi, they opened fire on the police, who retaliated. Six suspects were fatally wounded, and firearms were recovered from their vehicles,” Mawisa said.
The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) is now investigating the case.
While Mawisa didn’t name the dead men or their plans, police sources said they had intended to rob a cash truck in the Butterworth or Cofimvaba area before police stopped them.
The gang was in two Toyota Fortuners. NIU members were waiting outside Butterworth after receiving information about a planned robbery.
A police source said one of the dead men was a notorious Cape Town extortionist and taxi boss. He had been linked to cash truck robberies and was released from prison in late 2024 after being arrested for killing five people in Khayelitsha.
Western Cape police had offered money for information leading to his arrest for violent crimes dating back to 2016. He avoided jail because witnesses were too scared to speak up or were killed before court cases.
Originally from Cofimvaba, he allegedly forced taxi owners to pay him protection money. Just a day before he died, he reportedly called taxi owners to a meeting about new payment demands.
People on social media say he made bakkie taxi drivers pay R2,000 weekly, though the amount for minibus taxis isn’t known.
Rural communities often use bakkies instead of minibus taxis because the roads are bad.
A Cofimvaba resident wrote online about how drivers who didn’t pay were stopped from working.
“I will never forget the day we had to walk to the outskirts of town with our groceries just to find a ride home because bakkies that didn’t pay were not allowed at the taxi rank,” the user posted.
On Friday afternoon, police confirmed that the number of the suspects who were fatally wounded increased to seven suspects. The other vehicle was stuck in the river banks, and the SAPS K9 Search and rescue team was summoned, one body was retrieved from the river and the death toll mounted to seven deceased.
Pictured above: Yanga Bara Nyalarha, who is believed to be Khayelitsha’s most feared criminal.
Image source: Tania Mbinda/Facebook
This article has been updated.
