Two suspects arrested in Dieps

Two suspects arrested in Diepsloot taxi shooting

A case of attempted murder has been opened against two suspects who are due to appear in court on Friday.

Two suspects arrested in Dieps

At around 05:15 on Tuesday morning, gunshots rang out at the Diepsloot taxi rank, striking a taxi owner and queue marshall.

Taxi violence in Gauteng escalates

According to IOL News, a case of attempted murder has been opened against two suspects who are due to appear in court on Friday.

The incident occurred at a time where the ATA (Alexander Taxi Association) and ARMSTA (Alexander, Randburg, Midrand and Sandton Taxi Association) were involved in a standoff with the JMPD (Johannesburg Metro Police Department) over allegations of unfair treatment and sabotage.

Captain Tinyiko Mathebula, the Diepsloot police station spokesperson provided more information on the situation, stating that “a group of what seemed to be taxi drivers drove away in a taxi to the other taxi rank. [the suspects] have been arrested”

Innocent commuters and businesses are directly affected by taxi violence

As much as the shooting seemed random, it has been linked to a longstanding dispute between the ATA and RULLDTA (Randburg United Local and Long Distance Taxi Association) over routes.

Naturally, innocent commuters who live in the area were affected as well. Many of them could not commute to places of work and such after the police responded to the situation and cordoned off the area. Lethabo Nkuna, aged 26, works in Pretoria central and the incident affected her too, “I was supposed to be at work at 07:30 but here I am, still in Diepsloot. I just have to call them at work to let them know that I won’t be coming since I don’t have alternative transport”.

The Gauteng region has been littered with taxi violence lately. In April, four drivers associated with the JSSTA (Johannesburg Southern Suburbs Taxi Association) and BCTOA (Bara City Owners Association) were shot dead in an ongoing violent taxi war.

The minister of transport and police authorities are hard at work trying to manage the situation, as innocent passengers’ lives are directly affected by this violence.