The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) has assured commuters that there is no taxi war brewing after five drivers were shot in one day.
The shootings in Philippi on Tuesday left three drivers dead and two injured. The latest incidents have brought the number of taxi killings to nine in the last two weeks.
Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi says cops responded to a shooting in Sheffield Road on Tuesday morning where they found the body of a 29-year-old man with gunshot wounds.
Swartbooi says: “The 29-year-old victim was declared deceased at the scene by medical personnel. It can be confirmed that two other victims were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The motive for this attack is taxi-related.”
Swartbooi says a 21-year-old man was arrested moments after the shooting and now faces charges of murder and attempted murder.
Hours later, Nyanga police attended another crime scene on the corners of Sonwabile and Gwayi Street in Old Cross Roads, where they found the body of an unknown man inside a white Mercedes-Benz minibus.
Swartbooi explains: “The victim was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. The unknown suspect fled the scene and is yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is believed to be taxi related.”
In a third shooting, Delft police responded to a shooting on the corners of Main Road and Assegaai Street at around 3pm. They found a group of people standing around a Toyota Quantum.
Swartbooi says: “Upon further inspection, they found the body of an unknown man who sustained multiple gunshot wounds. The victim, a 32-year-old man, was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“The unknown suspects fled the scene and they are yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is now the subject of an investigation by the South African Police Service.”
Santaco Deputy Chairperson, Nceba Enge, insists there is no taxi war.
Enge says: “We would like the commuters to know that there is no war, we don’t know what this is.
“We know that whenever there are shootings people think that there is a war between Codeta and Cata, but that isn’t the case.
“We condemn these shootings and urge our members to resolve their matters around the table and not with guns.”
Santaco could not confirm that commuters were left stranded on the Station Deck in Cape Town on Tuesday as a result of the shootings.
Anyone with information which can assist with the investigation is asked to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.