CAPE TOWN – The community is in shock following a deadly shooting at the busy Killarney taxi rank on Friday afternoon (13 February) that left one taxi owner dead and three others wounded.
The four men, all associated with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata), were shot at about 14:40 at the corner of Koeberg and Blaauwberg roads in Table View. Police believe the attack is taxi-related.
Police spokesperson Sgt Wesley Twigg confirmed that Table View police have opened a murder case and three counts of attempted murder.
According to Twigg, officers responded to the scene where they found four men with gunshot wounds. A 39-year-old victim was declared dead on the scene by medical personnel. The three other victims, aged between 30 and 43, were transported to a nearby medical facility.
“According to reports, unknown suspects opened fire on the victims before fleeing the scene. The motive for the attack is believed to be taxi-related,” Twigg said.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as gunfire rang out at the taxi rank, sending commuters and bystanders scrambling for safety in the bustling area.
“I just heard the gunshots and saw people running for cover. It was terrifying. I’d rather stay anonymous, but the whole place was in chaos,” said a witness.
The latest attack follows another fatal shooting last week involving a member of the same organisation.
On Monday afternoon 9 February, a 36-year-old taxi owner was shot dead in Macassar when unknown suspects allegedly opened fire on a minibus taxi. An adult woman and two adult men were wounded in that incident.
The back-to-back shootings have heightened tensions within the taxi industry and raised concerns about ongoing violence linked to transport routes and operations.
Cata spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi confirmed that the four men targeted on Friday are taxi business owners affiliated with the association.
Police investigations into both incidents are ongoing, and no arrests have yet been made. Authorities have urged anyone with information to come forward as detectives work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attacks.
