Drivers affiliated with the Mutale Taxi Association were lucky to escape death when three unknown men in balaclavas randomly started shooting at taxis that were parked at the bus rank next to the Khoroni Hotel and Casino in Thohoyandou last Friday afternoon.
Taxi drivers have been parking their taxis there since September to prevent drivers without legal permits from picking up commuters at that spot. One of the taxi drivers who were at the scene when the incident happened, said he had been sitting at the bus rank when he had heard about seven gunshots and had seen his colleagues running for cover. "I was so shocked and could not even run at that moment. I saw three guys in a maroon Toyota sedan shooting at taxis with pistols. They were wearing balaclavas, so I could not see their faces. They were driving in my direction, and out of fear, I fell to the ground before I jumped up and ran towards the nearby park," he said. The man did not want to reveal his identity.
He said when the shooting had stopped, they had gone back to the taxis and found that at least five taxis had been damaged. He said that guessing the reason behind the shootings was difficult because, apart from the fact that they were fighting for operating routes with the Nancefield Taxi Association, those who were operating from Tshakhuma to Thohoyandou had also entered the fray. "Those guys were helping taxis operating illegally on our routes by ferrying passengers going to Mutale from the Thavhani Mall. They pass here, pretending to be going to Tshilamba, only to drop their passengers off at Sibasa and give them to the illegal operators. We caught three of them and beat the hell out of them here between Monday and Tuesday last week. Then, today, we are attacked like this," he said.
He added that they had been fighting for routes with taxis drivers from Musina for the past three months, but no shooting had been involved. "We beat the taxi drivers from Tshakhuma this week and our taxis are damaged. I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but if you use common sense, you can see where the culprits come from," he said.
One person was shot in the thigh during the fracas and was rushed to a local hospital for medical attention.
According to police spokesperson Col Mamphaswa Seabi, the police have launched a manhunt for the suspects. "The Limpopo Provincial Police Commissioner Lt Gen Thandi Hadebe is urging the public to provide information that will help to bring the perpetrators to book," he said.
Anyone with information can contact Seabi at 082 450 1578. Police investigations are continuing.