Four taxi drivers killed at Joburg taxi rank

Four taxi drivers were killed and three others injured after unknown men randomly opened fire at the taxi rank in Faraday, downtown Johannesburg.

Police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Sello said the shooting happened at about 5pm on Wednesday and investigations have begun.

“No suspects have been arrested and the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident are unknown at this stage as the investigation continues.

“Police appeal to anyone who may have information about these incidents to contact the Crime Stop Line at 08600 10111 or anonymously report tip-offs on MySaps app. All information received will be treated as strictly confidential,” Sello said.

The drivers who were shot at belong to the Witwatersrand African Taxi Association.

The killing of the four drivers takes the death toll of those murdered in taxi violence this week to five. On Monday, a taxi driver was gunned down and a passenger wounded in Soweto in the early hours of the morning. Police said the motive is unknown and they are conducting investigations.

The provincial government established a commission of inquiry into taxi killings led by Justice Jeremiah Shongwe in 2020.

The commission found that taxi associations are not regulated in the province. They control who gets to join the associations and allow taxi owners without operating licences as members.

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