Golden Arrow warns of impending taxi war amid rising violence

Another taxi driver has been killed in ongoing disputes over routes, prompting Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) to warn of a potential taxi war in the Western Cape.

The latest shooting occurred on Tuesday night at approximately 9.50pm in Mpozolo Street, Browns Farm. Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.

“A 48-year-old man was shot and fatally wounded. Police members responded to a complaint of a shooting, and upon arrival on the scene, they found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.

“The victim was declared dead on the scene by medical personnel. The suspects fled and are yet to be arrested. The motive for the attack is yet to be determined.”

The victim was a taxi owner and a member of Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata), whose vehicles operated in an uncontested route from Elsies River to Parow.

“The last time I saw the member was on Tuesday afternoon. I even joked with him that he was my bodyguard, and then, after the Bafana Bafana match, I received a call that he had been murdered. He was getting out of his car when he was gunned down in front of his home.

“It came as a shock to me because his route was not affected by the conflict. He was serving under the regional working committee of Cata,” said Nkululeko Sityebi, Cata spokesperson.

In the last three months, 26 taxi-related murders were recorded by the organisations.

Sityebi said they have lost eight members, while the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) chairperson, Nceba Enge, confirmed they lost 18 people.

The motive for the killings was linked to operational problems on the Somerset-Mfuleni and Somerset-Khayelitsha routes.

Codeta was licensed only to drop passengers off in Somerset West, and Cata would take them back.

However, Codeta said they wanted to return with their customers, breaking their agreement they signed in June.

Against this backdrop of violence, GABS told the Western Cape Legislature’s Standing Committee on Mobility that Cape Town risks sliding into another taxi war unless the minibus taxi industry is fundamentally reformed.

Chief Executive Francois Meyer said the scale of licence fraud, violence, and regulatory failure has created a powder keg.

“If nothing is done, there will be another taxi war,” he warned.

His remarks come just weeks after the Western Cape Taxi Peace Summit exposed a R7 billion operating licence crisis, with hundreds of fake licences confiscated.

Meyer said the real issue is the taxi industry’s business model.

GABS has been directly caught in the fallout of taxi strikes and related violence.

The company reported that nine buses were lost in 2023 during taxi strikes, while around 200 buses are stoned every month.

Meyer warned that the return of limited Metrorail services at heavily subsidised fares was further distorting travel patterns and risked igniting new tensions with taxis.

He also pointed to severe congestion in Mitchells Plain due to road construction expected to last until 2028, potholes across the road network, and frequent service protests that put both buses and passengers at risk.

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