The taxi industry is reeling following the shooting and killing of four taxi drivers in two separate incidents in Khayelitsha and Philippi. Five others and a passenger were injured.
The first incident occurred on Saturday 23 August at Somerset Taxi Rank in Makhaza where a taxi driver was gunned down by unknown people. The other two incidents occurred on Monday 25 August. The first incident occurred at about 05:40 at Vuyani Taxi Rank at the corner of Japhta K. Masemola and Spine roads. The next incident occurred at 07:30 at a taxi rank on Ngqwanga Street where two drivers were gunned down and four other people, including a passenger, were injured.
Lt Col Malcolm Pojie, the provincial police spokesperson, confirmed the incident. He said the detectives from the provincial Serious and Violent Crimes Taxi unit are probing the circumstances surrounding two separate shooting incidents which claimed the lives of three adults and injured six men.
In a separate incident that occurred on Saturday 23 August, provincial police spokesperson Capt FC van Wyk said Makhaza police registered a murder case following a shooting incident at 06:30 at Somerset taxi rank in Makhaza where an adult male was shot and fatally wounded.
“According to reports, the officers received a complaint about a shooting incident at the mentioned address. Upon arri-
val they found the body of the victim with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest laying on his back halfway out the door of the taxi. The adult male was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel,” said Van Wyk, adding the motive is believed to be taxi related. He said the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation and no arrests have been made.
Pojie said the information reveals that on Monday 25 August at about 07:30 unknown armed men opened fire and shot six adults between the ages 35 and 43 of which one succumbed to gunshot wounds on the scene and another was declared deceased at the hospital.
“Four injured men were transported to a medical facility of which three taxi drivers were in a critical condition and a passenger in a stable condition. The incident happened at a taxi rank in Ngqwangi Drive, Philippi East,” said Pojie.
He stated that Philippi-East Police Station opened two counts of murder and four of attempted murder. He stressed that the shooting incident followed another incident earlier on Monday 25 August at about 05:40 on the corner of Japhtha K Masemola Drive and Spine Road in Khayelitsha.
“Preliminary information suggests that two armed men approached the Vuyani taxi rank where they opened fire, killed a taxi driver, and wounded two other drivers who were transported to a medical facility for treatment. Khayelitsha Police Station registered one count of murder and two of attempted murder,” he said.
Pojie emphasised that the motives for these attacks are believed to be taxi conflict-related.
A community leader in Philippi-East, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the incident as terrible. He said they are concerned about the well-being of the commuters. “It’s sad because these taxi wars end up affecting the passengers. We are appealing to the taxi owners to sit down and resolve their differences before things get worse,” he said.
A South African National Civics Organisation (Sanco) leader in Khayelitsha who also spoke on condition of anonymity urged the taxi owners to resolve their differences.
“We know that once the taxi operators start fighting everything stops. I’m worried that whatever they are doing will affect us. We are appealing to the government to intervene and stop it,” he said.
