Four men were shot dead and two others, including a seven-year-old child, were wounded when gunmen opened fire at the Bellville taxi rank in Cape Town on Saturday night, police said.

The shooting happened at about 21:00 on the long-distance side of the rank, where the victims had gathered. Four gunmen travelling in two vehicles pulled up and started shooting, according to Smile FM, citing police.

The four men died at the scene. Another man and the seven-year-old child were taken for medical attention. Bellville police have registered murder and attempted murder cases, and detectives from the Western Cape Taxi Violence Unit have launched a manhunt for the suspects. No arrests had been made by Sunday morning.

A firearm linked to a taxi driver was confiscated by police, although officers have not said how it is connected to the shooting. Police have not given a motive and have not confirmed whether the attack is linked to the long-running dispute between rival taxi associations.

Truce under strain

The attack is the worst incident since the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) and the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) agreed a seven-day ceasefire on Monday, 2 November, after weeks of deadly shootings over disputed routes. The deal was brokered with the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town and the South African National Taxi Council, and the High Court issued an interim order aimed at stopping the violence.

That truce was already under strain before Saturday night. On Thursday, 6 November, a 44-year-old taxi owner was shot and wounded at the Nyanga taxi rank, and a separate shooting in Wynberg earlier in the week left a man dead and a woman wounded.

According to the South African National Taxi Council's Western Cape spokesperson, about 18 people had been killed in the taxi violence before the ceasefire agreement, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.

Mediation due on Tuesday

Further mediation between CATA and CODETA, with independent facilitators, is scheduled for Tuesday, 10 November. Police operations last week led to arrests and the seizure of firearms in Mfuleni and at the Site C taxi rank, but the violence has continued, prompting extra police deployment at Delft, Nyanga, Bellville and Mfuleni.

Commuters and traders at the Bellville rank have borne the brunt of the conflict. Vendors have said customers stay away when the shooting starts, and transport disruptions have left workers struggling to reach their jobs. For now, the rank is operating under a heavy police presence while detectives pursue the four gunmen.