By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
SA Police Services (SAPS) in Gauteng are investigating a case of murder after three men were shot dead in Mofolo, Soweto on Monday, 07 April 2025.
The incident, which occurred on Mahalefele Road and Nape Avenue, has resulted in road closures and diversions, causing significant delays.
The shooting has been linked to taxi violence in the region. Three men were killed in a shootout this morning were confirmed to be part of the Witwatersrand African Taxi Association (WATA).
Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the shooting happened on Monday morning.
“It has been reported that three males were shot with fatalities. Law enforcement officials and emergency services are currently on [the] scene.
“Motorists are urged to exercise extreme caution when driving in the vicinity of Mahalefele Road, Mofolo Central, as vehicles are being diverted at Machaba Drive and Mageza Street,” Fihla said.
Fihla has warned motorists to expect potential road closures, traffic diversions, and increased congestion in the area as authorities manage the scene.
“Motorists are advised to avoid Mahalefele Road towards Mofolo Central. Coming from Dube, motorists can use Mncube Drive, Leselinyana, and Kinini Street to get to Machaba Drive and from Zulu Drive, motorists can use Machaba Drive as an alternative route.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Kweza said they are investigating a case of murder.
“The incident is believed to be taxi-related. The victims all belong to a taxi association. All possibilities will be investigated. High-calibre cartridges were found on the scene.
“At this stage, no one has been arrested. However, I can assure you that police are working non-stop to ensure the suspects are arrested,” Kweza said.
The associations have been warring over routes for around a decade, with multiple multiple linked to the feud.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport denied it was responsible for the latest flare-up in the ongoing taxi war, which, according to reports, might have claimed as many as 160 lives and has previously seen the government suspend all services on the disputed routes.
However, an order from the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Johannesburg on Monday, 3 March 2025, illustrates how the government’s clumsy attempt to resolve the matter appears only to have prolonged the crisis.
The latest standoff stems from a 16 January decision by the Gauteng Provincial Regulatory Entity (GPRE) to award the contested Soweto routes to Nanduwe.
Those routes are:
- Mofolo Kwa-Mthethwa Informal Taxi Rank to Jeppe Station Taxi Rank;
- Dube Station Taxi Rank to Jeppe Station Taxi Rank;
- Makhetha Garage (Phefeni) Taxi Rank to Jeppe Station Taxi Rank and Uncle Tom’s Hall Taxi Rank to Jeppe Station Taxi Rank.
It said only Nanduwe could load passengers and end trips on the routes, while other associations with routes passing through such areas could offload passengers.
Wata took the decision to court.
Judge Stuart Wilson said the GPRE appeared to have ignored an ongoing, court-ordered arbitration and had not “advanced anything like a coherent justification” for the 16 January decision to give Nanduwe the routes.
“On the face of it, the GPRE’s 16 January decision exceeded the parameters of the complaints referred to it, and interfered with the terms of an order, binding on the MEC, to have the dispute between Wata and Nanduwe referred to arbitration. Without any sense of why GPRE acted as it did, the decision is prima facie unlawful,” Wilson said.
He added that Nanduwe began preventing Wata from operating on the contested routes soon after the 16 January decision was announced.
While SAPS and the JMPD were mandated to enforce the decision, Wilson said it was unclear whether they have implemented it “or have simply stood by while Nanduwe did so itself”.
The High Court ordered that Wata could continue to operate on the routes while it appealed against the GPRE decision and the arbitration continues.