Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has been called to take action in Cape Town following the ongoing taxi war that has claimed multiple lives and left many injured.
According to IOL, the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) provincial spokesperson, Akhona Jonginamba said that Mbalula should intervene because they cannot assure that MEC for Transport and Public Works Daylin Mitchell had requisite capacity to find a “lasting resolution”.
Meanwhile, police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that Maitland police were investigating a case of attempted murder after unknown men fired gunshots at a taxi travelling in the direction of Cape Town on Wednesday, July 14.
As Swartbooi explains, the driver of the vehicle continued driving and reported the incident to the Maitland police. Three passengers aged 26, 32 and 41 had sustained gunshot wounds to the body, IOL adds.
Swartbooi further mentions that in an unrelated incident, “Manenberg police [are] investigating a case of attempted murder. The victims in both instances were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.”
This comes after unknown suspects fired shots at a taxi near Downs Road in Manenberg around 7.45am. It was reported that a 31-year-old male sustained gunshot wounds to his chest.
In a separate incident, safety and security Mayco member JP Smith said that a metro police officer was shot in Sweet Home informal settlement and sustained a bullet wound to the leg. He was among the officers chasing a group of taxis along Jakes Gerwel Drive.
Mitchell, on the other hand, said that they are determined to find a lasting resolution to the dispute between the two taxi associations, Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta).