Port St Johns residents on Wednesday told of a fearful show of force by scores of taxi operators from Lusikisiki who drove into the coastal town just before a deadly shootout in which three people, all security officers from a rival taxi association, were killed.

The R61 between Mthatha and Lusikisiki was closed for most of the day due to taxi barricades.

Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the hospital in town remained open and they were managing to treat patients.

“The department is working closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of patients and staff,” he said. “They are stitching up a patient with a head wound as we speak.”

Scholar transport was also severely curtailed. Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson Malibongwe Mtima said while schools elsewhere in the OR Tambo District reopened without a glitch, the first day of school was marred by flooding and the ongoing taxi violence. 

Read more in Daily Maverick: Eleven arrested in Port St Johns as taxi groups lay deadly siege to town

“It has affected the transportation of learners who commute between Port St Johns and Lusikisiki,” he said.

The Eastern Cape chairperson of the South African National Taxi Organisation (Santaco), Bishop Zola Yolelo, said they were saddened by the violence which took place in Port St Johns.

“We would like to apologise to the people,” he said.

“We can assure the members of the public that the leadership of Santaco in the Eastern Cape and the Department of Transport in the province are working together to find a solution between the two conflicting associations which is the Port St Johns Taxi Association and Lusikisiki branch of the Uncedo Taxi Association,” he said.

“We are not going to rest until we resolve the matter. I don’t think this will be experienced again in the future. We will suffocate and suppress any element of violence in the province. I am appealing to every member of the public to accept our apology. We are with them and we will always be with them.”

Yolelo said Santaco was facilitating an urgent meeting with the warring associations.

“The two associations are fighting over the Mtambalala Route between Port St Johns and Lusikisiki. I have asked a regional taxi council to convene a meeting with these associations, but they have refused and that is where Santaco intervened and we are trying to get a meeting with them.”

“That route will be closed until we have a solution,” Yolelo said.

Deadly feud

The three shooting deaths on Tuesday were preceded by another three fatalities during the lead-up to this week’s violence. Several residents of Port St Johns, who requested to remain anonymous due to the fear of violence, said they saw scores of taxis from Lusikisiki driving up to the Port St Johns taxi rank in a show of force before the violence started. Soldiers were also seen trying to keep the peace.

The Department of Education’s district director for the OR Tambo Coastal Region, Dr Bongie Peyana, said the taxi violence had badly affected most schools in the area.

“The taxi violence led to scholar transport not transporting learners to Lusikisiki and Port St Johns.”

“There are three high schools that are badly affected in that area, Sobaba Secondary School, Ntafufu Senior Secondary School and Ban Mali Senior Secondary School, because there was no movement in that area today and learners did not go to school because they don’t have transportation,” Peyana said.

“We are hoping that this will end immediately.”

No businesses are operating in the Port St Johns town centre at present and there is a huge police presence trying to calm the situation.

According to a statement issued after 7 pm on Wednesday, municipal leaders were still trying to broker peace between the warring taxi organisations. 

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed on Wednesday that the police had arrested 11 suspects and had seized 15 firearms including pistols, AK-47s, shotguns and rifles as well as 328 rounds of ammunition. DM