Baby shot in the crossfire during taxi violence

A 5-MONTH-OLD baby, another child and a woman are fighting for their lives in hospital after being caught in the crossfire in the latest taxi-related shooting yesterday in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.

Three people, two males and a woman who were passengers were also killed in the shooting that occurred.

“At around 3pm occupants of a minibus taxi opened fire at the occupants of another taxi,” said police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut.

“Two males aged 32 and 25 and one female aged 22 sustained fatal gunshot wounds while a 29-year-old female and a 5-month-old baby were wounded and admitted to a local medical facility. We have reason to believe that another child who was a bystander was also wounded and taken away for treatment.”

Traut said the suspects fled the scene and are yet to be arrested.

“Any person who can shed light on this ruthless attack on commuters is kindly requested to contact Crime Stop on 08600 10111.”

Additional uniformed officers have been deployed to bring stability to a volatile situation in the area. The ongoing conflict between rival taxi association Cata and Codeta has claimed the lives of 80 people.

Mayor Dan Plato called on taxi associations to cease the violence and transport disruptions.

“I call on taxi associations involved in these incidents to put their customers first and cease the violence in respect of the conditions of the ceasefire agreement. The safety of commuters is critical and we cannot allow conflict between taxi associations to place additional strain on residents, who have already been impacted by Covid-19,” said Plato.