Cape Town, South Africa - A surge in minibus taxi-related shootings and gang violence in parts of Cape Town has disrupted public transport, prompting heightened security measures as thousands of candidates sat for the national senior certificate English exam. The violence was reported in Delft, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Mfuleni, and Gugulethu, raising serious concerns about the safety of pupils and their ability to reach exam centres.
Western Cape education MEC Jaco Londt said the Western Cape education department had activated its security structures and alerted exam centres across the metro to monitor candidates' arrival. Centres were instructed to contact candidates who had not arrived and, where safety or transport challenges prevented them from reaching their registered venues, advise them to report to the nearest exam centre as an emergency alternative.
According to Londt, candidates who experience circumstances beyond their control are allowed up to an hour after the commencement of the exam to arrive and be admitted to the exam venue. Delft SAPS opened two attempted murder cases and a case of discharging a firearm after a shooting involving minibus taxi drivers at Palm taxi rank at about 7am on Wednesday.
Police spokesperson Thembakazi Mpendukana said two adult men were wounded in the shooting and transported to hospital in a private vehicle. No arrest has been made yet, and the investigation is ongoing. The City of Cape Town temporarily closed the Delft public transport interchange as violence between rival minibus taxi associations escalated.
Urban mobility MMC Rob Quintas condemned the latest outbreak, saying it was rooted in longstanding disputes over taxi routes and operating rights. The disputes between the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association and the Congress of Democratic Taxi Associations had persisted despite years of mediation, negotiations, and high court intervention.
The latest tensions centre on contested routes between Delft, Epping, and Killarney, with concerns that the violence could spread to other major commuter corridors. Thousands of passengers depend on these services every day, and the consequences of further escalation would be devastating.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city was providing full policing support to the SAPS, with metro police officers responding alongside national police to incidents in Delft, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, and Gugulethu. The city is also making safety camera footage and surveillance technology available to assist investigations and maintain a heightened presence in the vicinity of various public transport interchanges to protect commuters and monitor the situation.
Key points
- Minibus taxi violence disrupts matric exams in Cape Town, candidates redirected to alternative centres.
- Violence rooted in longstanding disputes over taxi routes and operating rights.
- City provides full policing support to SAPS, deploys resources to protect commuters and public transport infrastructure.
