Western Cape authorities are facing an uphill battle regarding the ongoing taxi violence in the province. More than 70 people have already been killed in taxi-related shootings since the beginning of the year.
In the latest incident, a 42-year-old man belonging to a rival taxi association was shot and wounded on Tuesday, July 20. The shooting took place in Mnga Street in Witsand just outside Atlantis, IOL reports.
Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk indicated that the victim was wounded in the chest and both legs. No arrests have been made yet.
A Golden Arrow bus driver was also shot and wounded on Monday, July 19 while transporting passengers. This then caused the bus company to limited all services which left thousands of commuters stranded around Cape Town.
My heart goes to thousands of people stuck in this wet and cold Cape Town weather and who can’t get home because of the #TaxiViolence. Golden Arrow buses have suspended all their services due to being targeted by taxi people. Please government deploy the army to Cape Town pic.twitter.com/lYrtHIF2cz
— Fusi Nkoala (@Iam_Fusi) July 19, 2021
Still no sign of any Golden Arrow Bus
Video :supplied pic.twitter.com/lJTVlrrj6O— BYROooooooooooooooooN?️? (@lukas_byron) July 19, 2021
Golden Arrow says if possible they would have continued with full operations, however, the situation simply became too volatile.
“We take our responsibility to our passengers very seriously and know that you depend on us to get home but today’s events made it impossible.”
Meanwhile, Western Cape Minister of Transport and Public Works, Daylin Mitchell has condemned the recent attacks on bus and staff transport services, indicating that the violence has affected other modes of public transport which have amended their operations due to safety and security concerns.
“The national Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and I call on taxi industry leaders to place commuter safety above their own narrow interests. I also made it clear that Government cannot be expected to compromise on the rule of law and will not allow a criminal element in the industry to hold legal operators and the citizens of the province hostage,” Mitchell said.
The following routes are not operational but are subject to change:
- No minibus taxi (MBT) services between Mbekweni and Bellville.
- Local routes in Paarl are running.
- Limited MBT services from Khayelitsha, Nyanga and Langa leading to limited services at the Bellville Public Transport
- Interchange (PTI).
- Bellville PTI.
- MBT services from Eerste River are dropping passengers on Robert Sobukwe.
- Cape Town/Belhar route services are loading on Charl Malan.
- Limited Golden Arrow bus services.
- Somerset West MBT rank: all in order.
- Nomzamo and Lwandle: Limited MBT operations at ranks.
- Langa MBT rank: all in order but with limited service to Bellville PTI.
- Golden Arrow services are operating on Borcherds Quarry.
- Retreat Station and Capricorn taxi ranks: all in order.
- Wynberg PTI: No CATA (Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association) or CODETA (Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations).
- Vrygrond PTI: No operations.
- Fish Hoek PTI: No CATA or CODETA vehicles operating, but buses are operating.
- Masiphumelele PTI: No MBT service.
- Athlone PTI: No CATA or CODETA vehicles are operating.
- Mitchell’s Plain PTI: No CATA or CODETA vehicles are operating and bus services are limited.
- Claremont PTI: No CATA or CODETA vehicles are operating and bus services are limited.
- Nyanga Central PTI: Bus services are limited or not operating at all
- Gugulethu PTI: Bus services are limited
Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant-General Thembisile Patekile indicating during Tuesday’s online media briefing on taxi violence that the SAPS is aware of the voice messages circulating regarding Uber drivers that will be targeted.
“We are aware of those messages circulating and we are trying to trace them from the original source and we have got our cyber unit working on them, ” Patekile said. Patekile has also confirmed that the South African National Defence Force troops are in the province assisting police to maintain law and order.
However, videos surfaced on Facebook of an alleged shooting incident involving an uber driver in Gordon’s Bay.
Also read:
Taxi violence simply “unacceptable” says WC Premier Alan Winde
Picture: Cape {town} etc gallery