CATA denies taxi violence after man is shot dead in N2 traffic

A taxi driver was fatally shot while fleeing gunmen on the N2 near Cape Town International Airport.

Cape Amalgamated Taxi Associations (CATA) has denied claims of a flare-up of taxi violence, despite a recent surge in taxi-linked shootings.

This comes after a man believed to be a taxi driver was gunned down and killed on the N2 outbound near Cape Town International Airport on Tuesday morning, bringing traffic to a standstill.

According to police, the dramatic incident saw the victim running away from gunmen from the adjacent Kanana Informal Settlement in Gugulethu at around 11 am.

In his attempts to escape his pursuers, he ran into the path of speeding cars, but he was killed by a gunshot to the head.

The incident backed up traffic before authorities and medical services arrived on the scene.

South African Police Service (SAPS) spokesperson Constable Ndakhe Gwala said: “Gugulethu police registered a case of murder following a shooting incident on the N2 highway on Tuesday, 25 August 2026 at about 10.58am.

“According to reports, the deceased, who was identified as a 27-year-old taxi driver, was chased by two unknown suspects from Kanana Informal Settlement.

“He sustained gunshot wounds to the head and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.

“The motive for the attack is believed to be taxi violence-related. Police are following all available leads and no arrest has been effected at this stage.”

While cops say the killing is taxi-related, CATA spokesperson Nkululeko Sityebi said that he was not aware of the shooting, but according to him, there was no taxi conflict.

Instead, he said that, due to it being payday, the case may be an isolated act of extortion.

He explained: “It is that time of the month, so it might be extortion. But I am not aware of any taxi violence or a fight between taxi associations. It might be an isolated incident.”

The Cape Argus also reached out to the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (CODETA) and South African National Taxi Council (SANTACO), but received no response before publishing.