Cape Town - A 5-month-old baby, another child (age unknown) and a woman are fighting for their lives in hospital after being caught in a crossfire in the latest taxi-related shooting today in Khayelitsha.
Three people, two males and a woman who were passengers were also killed in the shooting that occurred around 3pm in Mew Way, Harare.
“At around 3pm occupants of a minibus taxi opened fire at the occupants of another taxi,” said police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut. “Two males aged 32 and 25 and one female aged 22 sustained fatal gunshot wounds while a 29-year-old female and a 5-month-old baby were wounded and admitted to a local medical facility. We have reason to believe that another child who was a bystander was also wounded and taken away for treatment.”
Traut said the suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.
“Any person who can shed light on this ruthless attack on commuters is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.”
Additional uniformed officers have been deployed to bring stability to a volatile situation in the area. The ongoing conflict between rival taxi association Cata and Codeta has claimed the lives of 80 people, this is happening despite the signing of a peace agreement just last week. The MEC of Transport and Public Works is forging ahead with his intentions to close ranks and routes as the violence continues.
Secretary of the ANC in the Dullah Omar Region Vuyiso JJ Tyhalisisu said they were deeply concerned by the ongoing taxi violence.
“This violence has claimed many lives and is affecting our communities where people rely on public transport to travel to work. We are in the midst of a deadly pandemic that has seen many of our people lose their jobs, their lives and their businesses, and the ongoing disruptions caused by this volatility in the transport sector are exacerbating a situation that is already challenging.”
Earlier this week MEC for transport Daylin Mitchell committed to closing a few taxi ranks with the hope of quelling the violence, but Tyhalisisu said this was a false solution “that will bring no concrete results. The closure of taxi ranks will further inconvenience the commuters whilst doing nothing to bring any resolutions or stability.”
He instead called on the City’s Law Enforcement to deploy adequate officers and resources to hotspots.
Mayor Dan Plato called on taxi associations to cease the violence and transport disruptions.
“There have been further shootings this morning and it is unacceptable for residents to be caught in this taxi conflict. I call on taxi associations involved in these incidents to put their customers first and cease the violence in respect of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement. The safety of commuters is critical and we cannot allow conflict between taxi associations to place additional strain on residents, who have already been impacted by Covid-19,”said Plato.
Tomorrow, Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula is expected host a meeting where he will be joined by Mitchell to discuss the ongoing violence.
Weekend Argus