Arrest in murder of Hermanus businesswoman amid taxi violence

A 37-year-old man is expected to appear in the Hermanus Magistrate’s Court on Monday in connection with the shooting of a prominent Hermanus businesswoman and taxi owner.

Independent Media reported that three unknown gunmen shot and killed 59-year-old Julia Alam of Zwelihle in broad daylight as she left a shop at the Whale Coast Mall on Thursday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Malcolm Pojie said provincial detectives from the Serious and Violent Crime unit launched an investigation.

“Preliminary information suggests that the 59-year-old woman exited the mall and, on her way to her vehicle, was ambushed and gunned down by three unknown armed men. She succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body. The motive for the murder appears to be taxi-related. The assailants fled the scene,” he said.

Alam’s husband was murdered less than six months ago in a similar fashion.

Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa on Sunday confirmed an arrest in the matter.

She stated that an extensive investigation led to several individuals being questioned.

“As a consequence, on Saturday, the suspect was charged. Two vehicles and a firearm were seized over the weekend as part of the probe. The shooting incident is believed to be taxi-conflict related. Serious violent crime investigators are still hard at work in search of more suspects,” Potelwa said. 

In a statement, Whale Coast Mall management said additional security measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of staff and customers. 

“We understand the concern this has caused within our community and would like to assure the public that the matter is being thoroughly investigated by the South African Police Service (SAPS),” part of the statement read.

Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) chairperson Nceba Enga said the killing of Alam was a loss to the industry.

“We lost one of our female members. We just had a peace summit on Monday, where we were talking about reconciliation, and we also had a meeting with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata). We didn’t expect this to happen. We call for people to be calm as the police investigate. We don’t want any more bloodshed.”

Cape Times