Conflict, allegedly between rival taxi groups Cata and Codeta, cost the lives of seven people in separate incidents in the City of Cape Town on Wednesday morning, the Western Cape transport department said.
This brings the total number of taxi-related murders in the Western Cape to 71 since the start of the year, with attempted murders and injuries at 33 over the same period.
Provincial transport minister Daylin Mitchell, and officials from the transport and community safety departments, are attending an emergency meeting of the Transport Priority Committee with the SAPS and other enforcement and intelligence authorities, aimed at restoring calm and bringing the perpetrators to book.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said while detectives are probing the circumstances surrounding the shootings, additional uniformed members have been deployed on taxi routes to maintain law and order and provide safety to commuters.
The transport department did not give a breakdown but those listed by Van Wyk are:
Emergency talks under way after multiple taxi shootings in Cape Town
Image: MASI LOSI
Conflict, allegedly between rival taxi groups Cata and Codeta, cost the lives of seven people in separate incidents in the City of Cape Town on Wednesday morning, the Western Cape transport department said.
This brings the total number of taxi-related murders in the Western Cape to 71 since the start of the year, with attempted murders and injuries at 33 over the same period.
Provincial transport minister Daylin Mitchell, and officials from the transport and community safety departments, are attending an emergency meeting of the Transport Priority Committee with the SAPS and other enforcement and intelligence authorities, aimed at restoring calm and bringing the perpetrators to book.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said while detectives are probing the circumstances surrounding the shootings, additional uniformed members have been deployed on taxi routes to maintain law and order and provide safety to commuters.
The transport department did not give a breakdown but those listed by Van Wyk are:
New police team to deal with Western Cape’s 'cold case' murders
Arrests are yet to be made.
Mitchell said: “The Western Cape government will not compromise on the rule of law and my department is working closely with the SAPS as they continue with their investigations into the murders and other taxi-related crimes in Cape Town and other parts of the province.
“I have also called the leadership of the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco), the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) to an urgent meeting, where we will discuss interventions to stem the growing tide of violence between associations affiliated to the two mother bodies — with specific focus on violence associated with the fight for control over routes.”
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