A female taxi passenger has died, while two other passengers were seriously wounded, after gunmen opened fire on a taxi in Philippi on Monday morning, 5 February, raising fears of commuters relying on mini-bus taxis to get to work.

Nyanga police say the taxi was loading commuters on the corner of Sheffield and Eisleben Road, when unknown gunmen with rifles started shooting at the vehicle before fleeing.

The female victim, in her mid-thirties, succumbed to gunshot wounds in her upper body while the two other passengers (a male and female) were rushed to a medical facility for treatment for gunshot wounds sustained to the face and back, respectively.

The police’s Malcolm Poje says the driver managed to flee and they are investigating whether he was the target for the shooting.

In another incident, a 46 year old taxi driver was shot dead while stationary at a red traffic light on the corner of Klipfontein and Bocherds Quarry Road, also Monday morning.

He was sitting in a Toyota Quantum, and fired upon by gunmen in a white Toyota Avanza, before they also fled the scene. There were no passengers in the vehicle, as he had already dropped them off.

These latest shootings come off the back of several taxi related shootings in January.

On 30 January alone, five separate shootings were reported, with two operators succumbing to their injuries.

According to reports, the current spate of shootings may be linked to internal fights in the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata).

On 17 January, two taxi owners, both Cata members, were fatally shot while exiting a meeting venue in Nyanga.

In May last year, Cata training officer Charmaine Bailey, was shot dead while chairing a meeting at the organisation’s Wynberg office.

Taxi shootings have become common place in the Western Cape, with rival associations often clashing. In June last year, a Paarl taxi boss, affiliated to Codeta was also shot dead.