Western Cape police said this morning that detectives from the provincial taxi violence unit had “apprehended several suspects in different investigations” into taxi violence in Hermanus and Cape Town.

“The unit’s tracing team members ventured out to Hermanus and Stanford in the Overberg on Saturday, where they arrested two suspects for a shooting incident that occurred at the Zwelihle Taxi Rank in Hermanus in September 2026 in which two taxi owners were shot and killed by six gunmen, who also injured a taxi driver,” the police said. The two, aged 28 and 36, face murder and attempted murder charges.

In a separate case, police said the home of the chairperson of a taxi association in Retreat in Cape Town was petrol-bombed at the end of September. A 29-year-old suspect was arrested.

Another suspect, also 29, was arrested at the Langa Taxi Rank over “a shooting incident that occurred at the Epping Taxi Rank and left two taxi owners dead, as well as another injured, on 16 October 2026”. Police said that “two other suspects had already been apprehended on the day of the Epping shooting incident”. Police said the two Zwelihle suspects, the Retreat suspect, and the 29-year-old arrested in Langa were due in court on Monday.

Last week, Western Cape Mobility Minister Isaac Sileku said: “Residents must be able to travel to work, school and other destinations without fearing for their lives. Disagreements over taxi routes must never lead to shootings, threats or intimidation.”

His department said it was “concerned that some of the violence may be linked to disputes between taxi organisations over routes and control of parts of the industry”, and that “the Office of the Registrar will formally investigate whether affected taxi associations have broken their own rules or codes of conduct”.

“Our position is clear: no taxi association or operator is above the law. Disputes over routes must not cost lives,” Sileku said.