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Johannesburg - An eyewitness to a shooting at an East Rand taxi rank on Tuesday morning has described the trauma of seeing a fellow passenger gunned down.
The shooting, at the Sangweni rank in Tembisa claimed the life of a woman described by her shocked colleagues as "lovely" and "bubbly". Two other people were injured.
"It was just chaotic. A lady was shot in the stomach while trying to board a taxi to Johannesburg. It all happened out of nowhere... it was really traumatic," the eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told News 24.
"Had people not rushed out of the rank there would have been a lot more deaths as medical personnel were only allowed in after all was calm."
He said he had been waiting in line for a taxi about 50m away from where the woman was shot.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed that the woman killed was an employee.
She was on her way to work when she was shot.
"She was a librarian [at the NPA]," spokesperson Bulelwa Makeke told News24.
"She was a lovely, bubbly person. We just need to get over the shock."
Situation ‘under control’
Gauteng police said two other passengers were injured in the shooting.
"These passengers were getting into a taxi when this unknown car came and started opening fire on them," Major Mack Mngomezulu said.
No arrests had been made yet.
"The situation is under control. Police are still managing the crime scene."
Mngomezulu said it was alleged that two taxi associations were at odds with each other.
The eyewitness told News24 the taxi "war" in the area started months ago when a driver was beaten up on his way to drop off passengers after work.
He alleged that two taxi associations, the Midrand Taxi Association and the Tembisa Alexandra Taxi Association, were fighting over routes between the township and the new Mall of Africa in Waterfall, Midrand.
