Feuding taxi associations operating in and around Mthatha in the Eastern Cape have committed to stop the taxi violence and instead be advocates for peace and stability. Speaking at a prayer service held at the Mthatha Town Hall to call for an end to the ongoing taxi violence‚ leaders of the taxi association public condemned the recent killing of people and the damage to property.The South African Taxi Council (Santaco) in the OR Tambo area used this opportunity to publicly apologise for the incidents of public violence which on Thursday saw three pedestrians killed and 15 others injured during a drive-by shooting on the R61 road near the Circus Triangle Hall.Tornado-hit Ekurhuleni ready to declare disasterTransport MEC Weziwe Tikana‚ who attended the prayer service‚ said two of the 15 injured had since died. “This means the numbers of those who died in the shooting has now increased from three to five‚” she said.Both Tikana and KSD mayor Nonkoliso Ngqongwa as well as church leaders condemned the violence.Santaco OR Tambo Taxi Council chairman Mabuya Shumayele said they were disappointed with the violence and were embarrassed and he profusely apologised to the public.“Many innocent people have died in something that should not have happened and others were hospitalised. We humble ourselves and apologise to the public in general‚ our clients‚ the government and everybody affected. Please accept our sincere apologies. The feuding taxi groups have agreed to ceasefire and work together on instilling peace and stability within the taxi industry‚” said Shumayele.The fighting was between Uncedo Service Taxi Association and Umtata Taxi Owners Association over routes between Libode and Tsolo.Ten people have been killed since April. -TMG Digital/Daily Dispatch..