Johannesburg - A middle-aged woman was killed early on Tuesday morning while she waited in line for a taxi at Sangweni taxi rank in Tembisa, Ekurhuleni.
The woman was gunned down and three people were seriously injured when a gang randomly fired shots at 5.30am.
Ekurhuleni metro police department spokesman Chief Superintendent Wilfred Kgasago said a taxi marshal and two passengers were seriously injured and taken to hospital.
After randomly firing shots at the crowd at the rank on the corner of Brian Mazibuko Drive and Andrew Mathetho Street, the five gunmen fled on foot, he said.
“We do expect to make arrests soon,” said Kgasago.
Although the shoot-out was believed to have been linked to taxi violence, he said the motive was not yet known.
“An investigation is under way to determine the motive.”
However, he did rule out robbery as he said nothing had been stolen from the crowd.
In February, a taxi boss was also fatally wounded at the same taxi rank by an alleged gang during a drive-by shooting.
A group in a white bakkie had stopped behind the man and opened fire at him. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
The group then turned on a police officer who was patrolling the area at the time and shot him in the leg.
The officer and another woman who was also injured during the shoot-out had been admitted to hospital.
Tuesday morning’s incident comes just 11 days after a shoot-out between three men and a queue marshal rocked the Alexandra taxi rank, leaving an 11-year-old girl dead.
The girl, who was about to travel back to Limpopo after spending the school holidays in Joburg, was hit in the head and died at the scene.
Also caught in the crossfire in that shooting were a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old, who sustained serious injuries.
Police spokesman Warrant Officer Moses Maphakela told The Star at the time that the shooting had followed an argument between a queue marshal, who was also injured during the shoot-out, and taxi drivers.
Willy Mkhari, Calvin Shaku, Patrick Khumalo and Sello Molahloe were arrested at the scene following that incident.
Two licensed firearms were seized and the suspects have since been charged with murder and attempted murder.
The Star