Western Cape SAPS Confirms Fatal Shooting of Taxi Boss and His Wife in Cape Town

• The Western Cape Police confirmed that a couple was gunned down in Delft, Western Cape, in a taxi-related violence incident
• The shooting happened in the late hours of the evening, after shots were heard piercing the silent darkness
• The South African Police Service confirmed that two cases of murder are under investigation, and the suspects are at large

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News’ Deputy Head of the Current Affairs desk, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, shootings, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

DELFT, WESTERN CAPE— A man and his wife were shot and killed in the latest taxi-related shooting incident in Delft, Western Cape, on 16 March 2026. The South African Police Service confirmed with Briefly News that two cases of murder are under investigation.

According to SAPS, the incident happened near the Palm taxi rank after 8 pm. Eyewitnesses contacted the police after the shooting took place. When the police arrived at the scene, they found that the couple, driving a silver Toyota Fortuner, had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. They were declared dead on the scene.

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The police said that the attack is believed to be taxi-related. SAPS members were deployed at taxi ranks and taxi routes in the area to monitor the situation.

Violence in the Cape Flats

A string of shootings on the Cape Flats from 12 to 15 March has gripped communities in fear. Three people were shot dead at a taxi rank in Delft. Occupants of a Toyota Quantum opened fire at the taxi rank and fired shots from within the vehicle, fleeing the scene.

One person was killed, and three were injured in two separate shootings in Elsies River and Lavendar Hill on 13 and 14 March. In the first shooting, a 35-year-old man was on his way home from the mosque when unknown assailants opened fire outside his home, killing him. In the second shooting, three people, including a child, were injured during a shooting. The victims were rushed to the hospital.

At least 15 more people were killed on the Cape Flats between 13 and 15 March in separate shootings. In one shooting, two people were killed in Mfuleni, and in another, one person died and another was injured in a shooting in Cloetesville. Three people were shot on 14 March in Lavender Hill. Two were injured, and one was killed. Several shootings took place the following day, which resulted in six deaths.

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Criminal expert calls on special unit to probe taxi violence

In a related article, Briefly News reported that criminal expert, Dr Tinyiku Ngoveni, called for the South African Police Service to establish a unit dedicated to investigating taxi-related killings. He spoke after a taxi driver was killed in Evaton on 5 March 2026.

Ngoveni, the Chairperson of the University of South Africa's School of Criminal Justice, said that the prevalence of illegal firearms can be linked to the rise in taxi-related violence. He added that a specialised unit similar to the Political Killings Task Team should be established to tackle killings in the industry.

Source: Briefly News