State blamed for Tembisa taxi violence

212 28.07.2015 Forensic pathologist investigate a scene a commuter was shot and killed during an alleged taxi feud in Sangweni Taxi rank in Tembisa. Picture Itumeleng English

212 28.07.2015 Forensic pathologist investigate a scene a commuter was shot and killed during an alleged taxi feud in Sangweni Taxi rank in Tembisa. Picture Itumeleng English

Published Jul 30, 2015

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Johannesburg - The Gauteng Transport Department has been blamed for a shootout that claimed the life of a middle-aged woman.

The SA National Taxi Council’s Ekurhuleni division claims the department issued permits to the Tembisa and Midrand taxi associations to operate the route from Tembisa to Kyalami, causing a deadly misunderstanding.

Spokesperson Peter Mashego said on Wednesday that the associations both produced the legal departmental paperwork for the route earlier this week, and that the confusion led to violence.

“This is the first time that two associations were issued the same route, and we’re still trying to understand how the department could have allowed this,” he said.

Despite numerous attempts, the department couldn’t be reached for comment.

The battle for the Kyalami route, situated north of Joburg, sparked outrage between the rival associations. On Monday, a gang belonging to one of them entered the Sangweni taxi rank in Tembisa and shot and injured a queue marshal.

On Tuesday morning, they returned and again opened fire at the rank. This time, a 45-year-old woman, who worked as a librarian at the National Prosecuting Authority, was shot and died at the scene.

Three people, including a taxi marshal and two passengers, were seriously injured and hospitalised.

That night, police arrested five men in connection with the deadly shooting and confiscated six illegal firearms.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini confirmed that the group were linked to the Tembisa shooting.

This month, there has been a spike in taxi-related violence across the province, which has claimed the lives of several people.

This includes a taxi boss who was gunned down outside his Soweto home by a gang on Tuesday.

Also in Soweto, a taxi boss allegedly fatally wounded his driver after he failed to return his full daily collection fee in Zola, while in Mzimhlophe, a commuter allegedly shot and killed a taxi driver in full view of other passengers during an argument.

In Alexandra, an 11-year-old girl got caught in the crossfire between a taxi queue marshal and taxi drivers at a rank in the township, during which a 16-year-old and one of the gunmen were also wounded.

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