Gunfire erupted at a Cape Town taxi facility. Three men died in a morning ambush that has left two rival taxi associations searching for explanations. A Toyota Quantum pulled up at the Voorbrug taxi rank in Delft shortly after 6am on Thursday. Occupants opened fire on commuters making their way to work.
Two victims, aged 55 and 58, died at the scene. A third man, 38 years old, later died in hospital from his wounds.
The deceased belonged to competing organisations. One was a member of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association. Another was a taxi owner affiliated with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association.
A commuter described her narrow escape from the violence.
“I was on my way to the taxi rank when I heard shots going off. I arrived at the scene a few minutes later. I don’t know what exactly happened; it happened so fast, but when I arrived, I just saw the two bodies lying on the pavement.
“Imagine if I had left my house a bit earlier, I could’ve walked into those bullets. When is all of this going to end?”
The woman had been approaching the rank when the shooting began. Her testimony captures the fear that now grips regular users of the facility.
Associations Deny Knowledge Of Motive
Leadership from both organisations have distanced themselves from speculation. Cata secretary Nkululeko Sityebi confirmed his member operated on the Wynberg and Claremont route from the Voorbrug loading point.
“One of the victims belonged to Cata; he was a taxi owner. We have no idea what happened because Cata not only had fatality but also Codeta as well. We do not know why and cannot pinpoint it to anything because another taxi organisation is involved.”
Codeta chairperson Nceba Enge expressed similar uncertainty about the circumstances surrounding the killings.
Western Cape authorities have launched a major investigation into the triple homicide. Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed that detectives from the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime unit have taken charge of the case.
“Western Cape police are investigating three counts of murder following a shooting incident at a taxi rank in Delft on Thursday morning, 12 March 2026.
“Detectives attached to the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime unit have taken over the investigation and are probing three counts of murder. The motive for the attack is believed to be possibly related to the taxi industry.”
Authorities have appealed to the public for information. Anyone with knowledge of the incident can contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or submit details through the MySAPS mobile application.