Johannesburg – The SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) cannot explain a recent spate of shootings in the Gauteng taxi industry, an official said on Wednesday.

Five people have been shot in suspected taxi-related violence in and around Johannesburg this week.

One person has died.

“There isn’t any [tension] that we know of,” said Santaco deputy secretary general Bafana Magagula.

“We are actually surprised at what has happened”.

In the latest incident, a taxi driver was shot dead at a Total filling station in Newtown on Tuesday evening.

Police spokesperson Thomas De Bruyn said the driver was sitting in his taxi when three unknown men drove up and opened fire before fleeing.

The taxi driver was shot in the head and died on the scene.

De Bruyn said no one had been arrested by 15:30 on Wednesday.

Early on Wednesday morning, three men, aged between 30 and 41, were arrested in Hillbrow in connection with the shooting of a taxi driver in Diepsloot on Monday, spokesperson Daniel Mavimbela said.

The taxi driver was wounded during an argument between a group of men, travelling in a silver-grey Mercedes-Benz, and striking taxi drivers.

Strike

Taxi drivers in Diepsloot went on strike this week, demanding to be promoted to taxi owners. Santaco’s Magagula said the drivers had returned to work by Wednesday.

Also on Monday night, two members of the Doljorta Taxi Association were wounded in a shooting at the Leratong hospital taxi rank in Kagiso, on the West Rand.

One of them was wounded in the shoulder, and the other in the stomach and ankle.

Police spokesperson Solomon Sibiya said no one had been arrested by 14:00 on Wednesday. The motive for the attack was still being investigated.

On Tuesday, a woman was wounded when three men on foot began shooting at a taxi and passing traffic at the intersection of Ontdekkers and CR Swart roads in Roodepoort.

Four taxis were damaged in the shooting.

The gunmen fled in a blue Toyota Corolla.

On Wednesday spokesperson Vincent Mashiteng said police were still searching for the gunmen.

He said the police were investigating the cause of the shooting.

– SAPA