Police in South Africa are investigating a deadly shooting outside a secondary school in Cape Town that claimed the life of a 14-year-old pupil and a taxi operator, in what authorities believe is the latest episode in the country’s long-running “taxi wars”.
According to police, an unidentified gunman opened fire on a minibus taxi on Wednesday as the driver waited to collect pupils after school. The attacker shot the driver, another adult man, and two children before fleeing the scene.
The taxi driver, aged 42, and a 14-year-old schoolgirl were killed. Two other pupils — girls aged 14 and 16 — were wounded during the attack.
Investigators say the shooting is linked to violent rivalries between competing taxi associations, conflicts that have plagued South Africa’s minibus taxi industry for decades.
“This is unacceptable,” said Isaac Sileku, a senior official in the Western Cape government. “Our children continue to be exposed to danger because of ongoing conflict within the taxi industry.”
The incident occurred as students were leaving Atlantis Senior Secondary, when gunfire erupted outside the school gates, triggering panic among learners and staff.
When officers arrived, they found a minibus taxi parked near the school with the body of the taxi operator inside. He had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.
Inside the school premises, police discovered the body of a 14-year-old girl who had been shot repeatedly in the chest. Officers believe she was struck while trying to escape the gunfire.
“A 14-year-old learner [female] sustained a gunshot wound to her back. Another 16-year-old female was grazed by a bullet,” said police spokesperson FC van Wyk.
Van Wyk said investigators were still trying to establish how many gunmen were involved. Detectives, along with members of the Taxi Violence Investigations Unit, have been assigned to the case.
Local media reports say this was the second attempt on the taxi operator’s life this month, underscoring the intensity of the ongoing turf battles within the industry.
South Africa’s minibus taxi sector is both highly competitive and extremely lucrative, transporting millions of commuters daily. While taxis remain dominant, growing competition from e-hailing services has added to tensions, fuelling violent confrontations that sometimes spill into public spaces.
In a statement, Western Cape authorities condemned what they called a “senseless act”, stressing that “no learner should ever face danger while travelling to or from school”.
“Violence of this nature undermines community safety, disrupts education, and instils fear among residents,” the statement said.
Sileku said the protection of commuters and schoolchildren “is non-negotiable and must never be compromised by industry conflict”.
He also urged law enforcement to act decisively. “Those responsible must be brought to justice swiftly,” he said.
