Johannesburg - Five men have been arrested in connection with the shooting at a Tembisa taxi rank that left a woman dead and three others seriously injured.
Police spokesman Major Mack Mngomezulu said the gang had been arrested onTuesday night. Firearms found on the men were seized.
The group stormed the Sangweni taxi rank in Tembisa at 5.30am on Tuesday and randomly opened fire.
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 taken to hospital.
The shooting is believed to be linked to a violent battle over routes between the Midrand Taxi Association and the Tembisa Taxi Association.
“There is a dispute over the routes and it is believed that members of one of the associations were responsible for the shooting,” Mngomezulu said.
The suspects, who are believed to belong to one of the taxi associations, are expected to appear in court soon.
Gauteng police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the five men may be linked to other incidents of taxi violence in Olifantsfontein and Woodmead two weeks ago.
“While investigations are being intensified, an advocate has been allocated to help the task team dealing with taxi violence. For the past three months, police have arrested 20 suspects,” he said.
On Tuesday NPA spokeswoman Bulelwa Makeke confirmed that the 45-year-old victim was their employee.
She broke the news on Twitter and posted: “We’re deeply saddened by horrific news that victim of taxi shooting in Tembisa this a.m. is 1 of our own @NPA. Killed on way to work. RIP.”
This was followed by pictures of National Director of Public Prosecutions Shaun Abrahams and the management team consoling the woman’s close colleagues and engaging in a group prayer session.
The NPA employees can be seen sobbing and comforting one another.
NPA spokesman advocate Luvuyo Mfaku said: “I confirm she is (was) an NPA employee, working as a librarian at our Pretoria head office. We don’t have permission from the family to release her name.
“She was a friendly person, bubbly, always with a smile on her face. We are deeply shocked and saddened by this act of senseless violence, where an innocent bystander’s life was ended like this.”
Tuesday’s shooting comes five months after a taxi boss was shot dead at the same taxi rank. A group in a white bakkie had opened fire on him before shooting a patrolling police officer in the leg.
Another woman was also injured during the shoot-out.
This month alone, several people have died in taxi violence-related shootings, including an 11-year-old girl who got caught in the crossfire between a taxi queue marshal and drivers at a taxi rank in Alexandra.
A 16-year-old and one of the suspects were also wounded.
In Zola, Soweto, a taxi boss shot his driver dead for failing to return his full daily collection fee, and in Mzimhlophe, Soweto, a commuter shot and killed a taxi driver during an argument. A taxi boss was gunned down outside his house in Soweto on Tuesday.
The Star