Six members of the association of motorcycle taxi operators died this year (2023), in the province of Manica, central Mozambique, victims of physical aggression and other types of violence carried out by individuals posing as taxi service users.
The most recent case is that of a young motorcycle taxi driver found dead a few days ago in the Trangapasso neighborhood, in the city of Chimoio, provincial capital of Manica.
The victim's body was found sprawled in the woods, with signs of strangulation and burns.
Cases of murders of motorcycle taxi operators have been frequent in the city of Chimoio, especially in the dead of night.
Criminals pretend to be users of those services, requesting transport to distant areas, where, using sharp weapons and other blunt instruments, they murder motorcycle taxi drivers.
The president of the Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Association in Manica, Neto Chiganda, told AIM this Friday (01), in Chimoio, that this year alone, the province recorded six cases of murders against members of his association.
In addition to fatalities, there are also cases in which members are beaten by customers and their motorbikes, monetary values, cell phones and other assets are taken from them.
“Crimes happen at night. Sometimes people appear who want our services for a certain area. Along the way, they resort to violence. We have colleagues who we found alive, but the motorcycle, money and cell phones were taken by criminals. For us, this is very worrying, lamented Chiganda.
“In this most recent case, we only found the remains of our colleague. The body shows signs of burning. We think that the criminals tried to set fire to mislead us. But the motorcycle and other assets were taken”, he explained.
To reduce the occurrence of these cases, according to Chiganda, the association works with the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) and other institutions.
He added that the objective is to raise awareness among the association's members about permanent communication with colleagues and the police, in cases of any request for night services and services outside the city.
“It is important to notify the nearest police station or post. This will help to have emergency assistance in life-threatening situations. Let's see that in this last case we found the victim's body days later and almost decomposed. It's sad, because the crime occurred and no one knew about the disappearance of our member”, he lamented.
Meanwhile, the National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC), in Manica, assured that a criminal case has already been opened against unknown persons and investigations are underway to identify those involved in this crime and bring them to justice.
According to Candeeiro, the investigation is ongoing with support from the population to locate the alleged criminals.
“We have some clues that we think could lead us to obtain good results. We believe the crime will be solved. We are working with the involvement of the population. We have launched all our operational lines and are on the ground in search of the truth about this murder”, he assured.
Crimes against motorcycle taxi drivers occur more frequently over the weekend in neighborhoods located on the outskirts of the city of Chimoio and in the districts of Sussundenga, Mossurize, Macate and Gondola.
However, PRM has been making efforts to combat this evil.
(AIM)
