Soweto taxi driver hijacked by 'priest'

A minibus taxi driver was hijacked, allegedly by a cleric armed with a gun in Protea Glen, Soweto, on Tuesday, Gauteng police said.

"The man, whom the taxi driver said was fully clothed in clerical clothing, stopped the taxi and asked the driver to take him to a nearby area to fetch a group of his congregation," Warrant Officer Kay Makhubela said.

"The priest was the only passenger. He then pointed a gun at the driver a few minutes later... and drove off with the Toyota Quantum, leaving the driver by the side of the road."

The minibus driver told the police the alleged hijacker, estimated to be in his 50s, looked like a genuine priest.

"He said the suspect is an older man with a beard, and that no one would have doubted that he is a clergyman," Makhubela said.

No arrests had been made.