Eleven taxi drivers have been shot dead after attending a funeral in South Africa. Four other people were critically injured after gunmen targeted a minibus carrying the group on Saturday evening.
The drivers, who were members of the Gauteng taxi association, had attended the funeral of a colleague and were returning to Johannesburg when they were ambushed. The motive is unclear although rivalry between groups running minibus taxi routes in South Africa has led to violence in the past. Minibus taxis are the most popular form of transportation among South Africa’s population of 55 million.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said the vehicle was attacked between the towns of Colenso and Weenen, in the coastal province. “The vehicle was ambushed. There were 11 fatalities and four were seriously injured and are in hospital,” he told reporters. “There has been a lot of taxi violence in the area but we are still investigating who the perpetrators were.” The targeted attack comes days after deadly shootings in Johannesburg, South African media reported.
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