Violence erupted in the Helderberg yesterday morning (Tuesday 26 August), claiming two lives and injuring three others just one day after the City of Cape Town appealed for calm amid escalating taxi tensions.
Two shootings in different corners of the basin followed fatal incidents in Philippi East and Khayelitsha on Monday (25 August).
According to Macassar police, officers responded to a shooting incident at the Macassar Heights taxi pick-up point on the corner of Oliver Tambo Avenue and Mandela Drive around 06:15 on Tuesday.
Two armed men allegedly opened fire at the location where numerous taxis were parked, fatally wounding a 55-year-old local resident and 54-year-old taxi driver from the greater Lwandle area in what appears to be a targeted attack. Two additional victims, including a middle-aged female bystander, were hospitalised with gunshot wounds after reportedly being caught in the crossfire.
Police recovered numerous cartridges from the scene and have registered two counts of murder and two of attempted murder, with the motive believed to be taxi-conflict related.
The suspects fled the scene in an unknown get-away vehicle and remain at large.
In a separate incident in Strand, a 34-year-old scholar transport driver was wounded in a shooting while driving along Onverwacht Road around 08:10. The female driver was taken to hospital for medical treatment.
Lwandle police are investigating a case of attempted murder.
Violence ‘disappointing’
On Monday, the City expressed concern over escalating violence between taxi associations Cata and Codeta in Somerset West, Lwandle and the wider Helderberg area, condemning the attacks as a breach of commitments made during a Peace Summit earlier this month.
Rob Quintas, Mayoral Committee member for Urban Mobility, described the violence as “profoundly disappointing” and highlighted that a crucial scheduled meeting between Cata and Codeta leadership failed to take place due to safety fears and absent leadership.
“With no indication of when parties will next meet to resolve their disputes, tensions in the Somerset West area remain dangerously high. Dialogue, not violence, must be the way forward,” Quintas stated.
The City views the return to violent tactics as “a serious breach of trust and goodwill” and “an affront to thousands of commuters who depend daily on safe, reliable public transport”.
In response, the City is working closely with the Western Cape Government and police to stabilise the situation, with visible law enforcement already deployed at key points.
Renewed calls for calm
Considering the most recent incidents, the Western Cape Mobility minister Isaac Sileku and Police Oversight and Community Safety minister Anroux Marais also condemned the attacks, issuing renewed calls for calm and extending condolences to the affected families.
Marais described the incidents as “brutal acts of terror” that have no place in communities, while Sileku warned that the provincial government “will not tolerate the collapse of peace efforts”.
He said: “The current escalation shows that some in the industry are acting in bad faith and undermining commitments made to government and the people of the Western Cape.”
Sileku is exploring additional regulatory steps to strengthen stability and ensure accountability.
Both ministers emphasised that those choosing conflict over peace would face the full force of the law.
All relevant authorities remain on high alert across affected areas, with the public and taxi industry urged to report any threats, intimidation or criminal activity directly to law-enforcement agencies.
Somerset West police confirmed the Somerset West Public Transport Interchange has been closed as escalating tensions remain unresolved.
Police and traffic officers have been deployed to monitor the area, which has been cordoned off.
- The authorities urged anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects of the Macassar shooting to contact Detective-Captain Lukhunyo Magadla on 082 411 3245, Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or MySAPS mobile anonymously.
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