Cape Town taxi violence disrupts matric exams as candidates diverted to alternative centres

Many matric candidates had to be redirected to alternative exam centres on Wednesday after minibus taxi-related shootings and gang violence in parts of Cape Town raised safety concerns for pupils travelling to write their final exams.

The violence was reported in Delft, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, Mfuleni and Gugulethu, disrupting public transport and prompting heightened security measures as thousands of candidates sat the national senior certificate English exam.

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.

“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,” Londt said.

The violence had raised serious concerns about the safety of pupils and their ability to reach exam centres.

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,” she said.

Meanwhile, 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.

“Reports indicate violence has also spread to Mfuleni and Gugulethu,” Quintas said.

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. These disputes must be resolved through lawful processes and meaningful engagement, not intimidation, shootings and bloodshed,” Quintas said.

The city said it was monitoring the situation and had deployed resources to protect commuters and public transport infrastructure.

Quintas warned that further violence could leave thousands of commuters without reliable transport to work, school and other essential destinations.

“It is a disgrace that innocent people endure the disruption and trauma of warring taxi bodies,” he said.

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.

He said the city was also making safety camera footage and surveillance technology available to assist investigations.

“Our officers are maintaining a heightened presence in the vicinity of various public transport interchanges to protect commuters and monitor the situation,” Hill-Lewis said.

He called on taxi industry leaders to end the violence and ensure peace, warning that commuters should not have to bear the consequences of disputes in the industry.

The city said it would keep commuters informed of changes to the operational status of public transport facilities as the situation developed.