Tragic daylight shooting claims life of Hermanus taxi owner

The shooting of a prominent Hermanus businesswoman and taxi owner has shocked the local community.

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 Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie said provincial detectives from the Serious and Violent Crime unit are investigating.

“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 and are yet to be arrested.”

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

Hermanus Community Police Forum chairperson Donovan van der Westhuizen said the incident has unsettled residents.

“The victim was a prominent person who was in the taxi business. She was shopping at the Food Lover’s Market and as she walked out of the shop, she was gunned down by three armed suspects. There’s quite an outcry by the general public in Hermanus about this because these are not things you normally see in Hermanus. This is believed to be taxi-related as she was a taxi owner as well, and her husband was also murdered a couple of months ago in a similar way.”

Whale Coast Mall Centre management confirmed the incident.

“We can confirm that an unfortunate incident involving armed suspects occurred on our premises on Thursday. 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).

"We are fully cooperating with SAPS as they work to identify and apprehend those responsible. The safety and security of our shoppers, tenants, and staff remain our highest priority, and we are taking all necessary steps to assist the authorities in their investigation. We urge the public to remain calm and avoid speculation as the investigation is ongoing. Additional security measures have been put in place to ensure continued safety at the centre. Further updates will be provided in due course.”

Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) chairperson Nceba Enga said the killing 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 are not saying that it was Cata, but we call for people to be calm as the police investigate. We don’t want any more bloodshed.”

Police have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS mobile application anonymously.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za