Taxi violence returned to the Helderberg Tuesday morning (30 June), with authorities responding to multiple scenes and a series of shooting incidents across the basin.

Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that Strand police are investigating attempted murder cases following a shooting in Van der Stel at 07:40. It is alleged the incident originated in the Somerset West policing precinct before the targeted taxi drove into Strand, coming to a halt on the corner of Broadway Boulevard and Main Road.

Twigg said officers responded to a complaint of a shooting and arrived to find two passengers, believed to be security guards, inside the minibus taxi with gunshot wounds. The victims were transported to a medical facility for treatment. The suspects fled the scene and no arrests have been made.

“According to reports, the victims were travelling in the minibus taxi when unknown suspects opened fire on the vehicle,” explained Twigg. “The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.”

A second incident emerged when footage of a taxi pockmarked by gunfire, which had pulled into a Firgrove service station, circulated widely on social media. Macassar police confirmed that officers responded to the scene around 09:00.

At the time of publication, the scene was still active. It is alleged the taxi was targeted in the Kleinvlei area of Eerste River.

The two incidents follow a shooting on Monday 29 June, which prompted the mobilisation of police at the Somerset West Public Transport Interchange. Makhaza police registered a case of attempted murder after a 35-year-old man was shot and wounded near a taxi rank in Japhta K Masemola Street. The victim had already been transported to a medical facility when officers arrived. No arrests have been made and the investigation continues.

As the nation remains on edge amid anti-immigration protests, authorities have not confirmed whether the taxi violence is in any way linked to the broader national tensions – with no unrest reported locally at the time of publication.