An all-out taxi war has broken out in Cape Town and this threat, issued by a pistol-wielding driver, has sent chills across a city ravaged by gun violence.
Watch: Taxi driver calls for all-out war
As reported by Daily Maverick, at least four police precincts in different parts of Cape Town are investigating multiple taxi-linked homicide and attempted murder cases, all reported on Wednesday.
From what we understand, four key figures linked to the taxi industry were gunned down in separate incidents that occurred in Ravensmead, Du Noon, Phillippi East and Samora Machel.
At least five other victims were struck by unknown suspects and have since been receiving medical treatment. According to sources close to the situation, the Cape Town taxi war is linked to two transport groups, the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations (Codeta).
At this time, a ceasefire has not yet been called in the violent warfare. Moreover, a video clip showing an unknown group of armed men has surfaced on social media, adding further context to the status quo of the public transit system in Cape Town.
In the clip, the gun-wielding man can be heard declaring an all-out war against the taxi industry. He claims, in Xhosa, that coming all the way from the rural outskirts of the Eastern Cape, they did not travel to Cape Town to be cast out of the lucrative taxi marketplace.
The unknown figure cocks his loaded gun and points it to his head, illustrating the fate that would be met by anyone who stood in his way.
Cape Town's taxi associations are in an all-out war. Today neither CATA nor Codeta taxis are running on any of the taxi routes and commuters are stranded. Information from sources suggests this is the culmination of months of tension over access to routes. pic.twitter.com/DL8Zb19gks
— Aron Hyman (@aron_hyman) July 8, 2021
Cape Town taxi war: Commuter updates for Thursday 8 July
Thus far, police have not yet made any arrests in Wednesday’s shootings. As the stand-off continues on Thursday, commuters have been warned to avoid approaching taxis and opt for alternative transport.
“We are unable to say whether they must risk their lives tomorrow (Thursday) by going to work or not, unless there are measures put in place that can ensure they can operate safely at the ranks. What we have witnessed today… we are unable to guarantee their safety,” Cata secretary Mandla Hermanus confirmed.