Eastern Cape Taxi Boss Celani Twazi Shot Dead by Police Linked to Libode Officer Killings
- Taxi boss Celani Twazi was shot and killed during a police operation at a premises in Mpindweni, Eastern Cape
- Police linked Twazi to the deaths of two officers who were killed in Libode in the early hours of 18 September 2026
- The National Intervention Unit was executing a search warrant when gunfire broke out, and a firearm was recovered at the scene
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EASTERN CAPE — Taxi boss Celani Twazi was killed in a shootout with police at a premises in Mpindweni, Eastern Cape, during an operation connected to the recent killing of two police officers in Libode.
Members of the National Intervention Unit were executing a search warrant at the location when gunfire erupted. Twazi died during the exchange of fire. Police confirmed that a firearm recovered at the scene was linked to the shooting.
Two officers killed in Libode on 18 September
The operation follows the fatal ambush of two Eastern Cape officers in Libode, near Mthatha, in the early hours of 18 September 2026. The officers, aged 30 and 52, were attached to the Mthatha National Intervention Unit and the Mthatha Public Order Policing Unit respectively.
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The pair had responded to reports of an armed attack on a spaza shop, where suspects were allegedly confronting the operator and demanding money. When the officers arrived to render assistance, they came under fire and were later found with fatal gunshot wounds.
72-hour plan activated after officer deaths
Following the Libode killings, police activated a 72-hour plan to trace and detain the suspects believed to be responsible. That operation led to the arrest of two individuals, while three others were fatally wounded during the pursuit. Twazi's death in Mpindweni forms part of the broader response to the incident.
No further details regarding additional suspects or charges have been confirmed at this stage.
Taxi boss fatally shot in Evaton
In similar news, Briefly News reported that a taxi driver was shot and killed in Evaton, Johannesburg, on 4 March 2026. The South African Police Service opened a case of murder. According to multiple news reports, the incident took place on the Golden Highway in Evaton. The police reported that a white Polo vehicle, which had an unconfirmed number of occupants, approached the driver while he was operating his taxi on the road and opened fire, shooting the taxi multiple times. When paramedics arrived on the scene, he was declared dead.
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Source: Briefly News
