THE body of a taxi owner was found in an abandoned vehicle at Leratong Hospital, on the West Rand, yesterday.

According to police spokesperson Warrant Officer Solomon Sibiya, the discovery was made by security guards at the hospital.

He said the guards said the body was driven into the premises by an unknown man. "One of the guards said he opened the gates for a Toyota Yaris after the driver had informed him that he had an injured man in the back," Sibiya said.

The driver attracted the attention of the guards when he parked the vehicle in a space reserved for doctors.

"A guard went to him and asked him not to park there. The driver then asked the guard to bring a stretcher so that they could take the man to the casualty ward.

"The guard said he saw a man in the back sitting motionless, bleeding."

Sibiya said as the guard left to fetch the stretcher, the driver fled and jumped into a taxi waiting outside the gate. He said the deceased suffered severe injuries to his face. His lower jaw was broken.

"At the moment we can't reveal if the deceased was shot dead or if he was attacked with a sharp object."

Personal belongings found inside the car revealed that the dead man was a taxi owner attached to the Alexandra Taxi Association.