‘The fastest lives the longest’: Bevan Loftus warned competitor in tow truck war

Taxi boss and tow truck business owner Bevan Loftus, who was killed during a police operation in KwaZulu-Natal, threatened competitor Clive Naicker during a confrontation about an alleged R2.5m hit put out for him, the Madlanga commission of inquiry heard on Thursday.

The commission has heard allegations that KwaZulu-Natal Hawks commander Capt Deena Govender carried out the contract killing of Loftus “disguised” as a police operation after a hit was put out for him.

Govender is yet to testify on the serious allegations against him before the commission. Allegations against him and members of the law enforcement task team have yet to be tested in court.

The commission heard a recording of a call between Loftus and Naicker that took place in January 2023, three months before Loftus’ death, in which Loftus confronted Naicker about allegedly putting out a R2.5m contract for him to be killed.

“How you can phone Dane and tell Dane to set me up?” Loftus can be heard saying.

“I phoned Dane? I do not even know who the f**k Dane is,” Naicker responded.

Naicker, who owns a tow truck company, said Loftus went around saying he killed someone named Reagan.

“You are after me. You pay Deena Govender to come after me. I have nothing to do with you and you wanna kill me. Where’s the numbers? You want to kill me, right? The fastest lives the longest, right?” Loftus can be heard saying before the call ended.

Gregory Loftus, Bevan’s father, testified at the commission on Thursday. He said Bevan’s remark to Naicker that “the fastest lives the longest” can be interpreted as a threat about “who gets who first”.

#MadlangaCommission: The commission listens to a recording of a call between Bevan Loftus and allegedly Clive Naicker. Bevan Loftus was killed during a police operation. According to police they were probing Loftus on alleged links to drug and tow trucks turf war.@BDliveSA pic.twitter.com/sMUJHpvajs— Sine🌻🗞️ (@Sinesipho_LR) August 13, 2026

Bevan was killed on April 1 2023 with four other people ― Ryan Santos, Chase Fynn, Michigan Hippolyte and Sihle Zondi ― during an operation by a task team under the command of Govender.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate in KwaZulu-Natal is investigating the case and other deaths between April 2023 and May 31 2026 at the hands of three task teams probing the illicit drug industry, cash-in-transit heist industry and taxi industry.

Loftus told the commission in February 2023 that Govender and his team arrived at Bevan’s home. He alleged Govender and two police officers told him they were not at the home to arrest Bevan but to kill him.

He said the officers told him they were looking for Bevan because he was a person of interest in the murder of his friend Marlon Stuart, and a man named David, a tow truck driver for Durban South Towing, who were shot and killed near Moses Mabhida Stadium in December 2022.

Loftus told the commission Bevan was best friends with Stuart and knew David as they all grew up in gang-infested Wentworth and he could have not killed them.

Linking Bevan to the murders, his father alleged, was a cover-up by police to get to his son.

He said he believed Govender led a team who “executed a contract” to kill his son. He said he did not believe all members of the team knew about the contract killing.

“The way I interpreted it, when they arrived they said we are going to kill him, we are not here to arrest him. The way I saw it, there is a small clique in that unit that knows what’s going on, but most don’t know what is going on,” Loftus said.