Cape Town - Police are investigating a shooting at a taxi rank in Ceres which left five taxi operators dead.
Police spokesperson Novela Potelwa said detectives from the provincial taxi task team combed the scene for clues after the shooting incident at a taxi rank in Vredebed, Ceres, on Tuesday.
Potelwa said reports from the crime scene indicated that three suspects opened fire indiscriminately on taxis just after 7am, wounding one man, who later died in hospital. Four others died at the scene.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) spokesperson Deanna Bessick said the team responded to the incident, where four patients sustained fatal injuries and one patient, who was critically injured, had been transported to a hospital nearby.
She said the call for assistance came through at 7:01am. Two ambulances and a rescue vehicle were dispatched, and the police were at the scene as well.
"While treating the critically injured patient, the EMS officials were shot at. Fortunately, none of them were harmed," she said.
Bessick said the area was declared a temporary Red Zone area and all EMS vehicles were escorted by the police if assistance was required in the area.
Potelwa said the identities of the deceased were yet to be released. Indications were that the shooting was taxi conflict related.
Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata) general secretary Mandla Hermanus said the five operators were affiliated to Cata. He said the working committee was on the scene to get more information as to what happened.
South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) provincial spokesperson Gershon Geyer said he was dismayed and saddened by the shocking attack.
"We condemn these brutal killings in the strongest possible terms, and we urge the law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned in order to bring the perpetrators of these heinous acts to book," said Geyer.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stop at 0860010111 or contact MySAPSApp.