Taxi Violence Flares Up Again in Cape Town After CATA Executive Is Gunned Down

The uneasy calm in Cape Town’s taxi industry has been shattered once again. The Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (CATA) is reeling after one of its executives, Mzukisi Zwakala, was shot dead in Lwandle on Monday a killing that’s sent shockwaves through an already volatile sector.

Another Leader Lost

Zwakala was a respected member of CATA’s Lwandle regional executive and a negotiator in the long-standing dispute over taxi routes with rival association CODETA (Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association). His death, coming so soon after the reopening of routes between Khayelitsha, Mfuleni, and Somerset West, has many fearing that the fragile peace between the two groups may be unraveling.

Over the past few months, at least three senior CATA figures have been gunned down in similar attacks including the association’s first deputy chairperson and a former spokesperson. Just last week, another taxi boss was killed on the R300 highway, marking a grim pattern of leadership assassinations that continue to haunt the industry.

Calls For Justice And Calm

CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi has called for urgent action from law enforcement, warning that continued impunity could ignite further violence.

“We cannot have so many killings at CATA with no arrests made. That’s totally unacceptable,” said Sityebi. He also cautioned against rumours and speculation, reminding the public that “assumptions are dangerous in the taxi industry they can cause a lot of fights.”

Sityebi said the association is waiting for police confirmation on whether Zwakala’s killing is linked to the recent route reopening. If so, he warned, CATA would take “decisive steps” to protect its members and commuters.

A Cycle That Won’t End

Taxi violence in Cape Town has long been a flashpoint, often rooted in competition over routes and leadership control. Despite interventions by the Western Cape government including the temporary suspension of routes earlier this year the killings have persisted, exposing deep fractures within the sector.

Social media users have expressed frustration and fear, with many questioning how such violence can continue unchecked. “Every few weeks it’s another killing, another closure, and commuters suffer,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Others urged authorities to deploy stronger policing and mediation before the conflict claims more lives.

A Fragile Peace At Stake

For now, operations at the city’s major taxi ranks have resumed, but drivers and commuters remain on edge. Each killing feels like a setback for those who have worked tirelessly to stabilise the industry and restore public confidence in Cape Town’s public transport network.

As one local commuter in Bellville put it, “We just want to get to work safely not live in fear because of someone else’s route war.”

The tragic death of Mzukisi Zwakala is yet another reminder that until real accountability and reform take hold, Cape Town’s taxi industry will continue to live and die in cycles of violence.

{Source:EWN}

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