One of two people killed in Goodwood hijacking was a Rwanda national and critic of its government

One of the two people killed in shootout with police in Cape Town on Thursday was a Rwandan national.

Rwandan high commissioner to SA Vincent Karega confirmed that Camir Nkuruziza was a metered taxi driver who was hijacked on on the corner of Hugo and Milton roads in Goodwood around 5pm.

Karega said the hijackers put Nkuruziza in the backseat of the car and sped off before he was killed in the crossfire in the shootout with the police.

“Probably they wanted to take the car … Maybe they wanted to take him somewhere it is dark or so and dump him. I don’t know,” Karega said.

Ugandan news site New Vision reported Nkuruziza was Rwandan President Paul Kagame’s former bodyguard before he became a government critic. The publication suggested he was assassinated instead of a victim of crime.

Karega believes the article is an attempt by Uganda to discredit the Rwandan government.

“Any opportunity for them is a political weapon.”

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) and the police are investigating the shooting. The police opened fire on the suspected hijackers and killed two people.

Ipid spokesperson Moses Dlamini said: “It is alleged that there was a collision with a number of vehicles at an intersection. An SAPS member approached the vehicle and it is alleged that one suspect attempted to stab the SAPS member.”

He added: “Eight shots were fired by the SAPS member into the hijacked vehicle.”

Police spokesperson Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana told TimesLIVE earlier: “According to information, a vehicle that was allegedly hijacked, a Toyota Etios, was spotted by the police and the driver fled. A high-speed chase ensued and the vehicle collided with three vehicles. Two men in their thirties were shot and fatally wounded.”

Seven people, including a child, were taken to medical facilities for treatment. No arrests have been made.