A Cata taxi driver was shot dead, and three passengers were wounded in an ambush in Macassar, Cape Town.
This after one of its members was shot and killed while driving a taxi.
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The driver was ambushed on Monday afternoon, 9 February, while travelling from Bellville to Somerset West. The shooting happened in Magdaline Gilla Road, Macassar.
There were passengers inside the taxi when gunmen opened fire.
Cata spokesman Nkululeko Sityebi confirmed the killing and said the association is deeply shaken.
“We are aware of the incident. It is our member who was shot and killed while driving from Bellville to Somerset,” he said.
Sityebi said the driver was attacked without warning.
“He was ambushed and killed, and from what we have heard, there were passengers onboard.”
Sityebi said it is painful to see another taxi driver lose his life.
“At this point, we cannot tell where this is coming from. It is a pity that we are starting the year on a bad note,” he said.
He called on cops to act fast.
“All we have to say now is to ask cops to do their job by finding the culprits and bring them to book,” said Sityebi.
He added that Cata had hoped for a peaceful start to the year after ending last year with violence.
A resident from the street where the shooting happened said the scene was chaotic.
She said commuters were left bleeding and in shock.
“There were commuters and they were left injured. We had to quickly call the ambulance,” she said.
She believes the attackers were after the driver.
“But the shooters made sure the driver was dead. It looks like their mission was to make sure he is dead,” she said.
She said she is not sure if the driver was being followed.
She added that as a commuter, her fear is that the fighting may come back again.
“Last year, they fought, it was a war, and during these fights, no one is safe. As you see in this incident, commuters were injured. My worry is that there might be a full-blown fight that may be coming our way.”
Western Cape police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident.
“Circumstances surrounding a shooting incident on Monday afternoon, 9 February 2026, at about 4.20pm, in Magdaline Gilla Road, Macassar, where a 36-year-old male was shot and fatally wounded, and an adult female and two adult males wounded, are under investigation,” said Twigg.
He said cops rushed to the scene after reports of gunfire.
“Macassar police responded to a complaint of a shooting and upon arrival on the scene they found the victims with gunshot wounds to their bodies,” he said.
The injured passengers were rushed to hospital.
“The other victims were transported to a medical facility for treatment,” he said.
According to reports, unknown suspects opened fire on the minibus taxi before fleeing the scene.
Serious Violent Crime detectives are investigating murder and attempted murder cases.
Cops are asking anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the MySAPS app anonymously.
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It is not yet clear if the shooting is linked to taxi violence.
However, late last year, violence between Cata and Codeta erupted in the same region. That fight forced the MEC for Mobility, Isaac Sileku, to close some routes for a month in September 2025.
