Johannesburg – Angry residents in Soweto have blocked Chris Hani Road and the entrance to Maponya Mall after an e-hailing driver was killed on Wednesday, with two others wounded, in what is believed to be a taxi-related attack.
The violent incident involved unknown suspects targeting e-hailing vehicles.
Four men approached a ride-hailing vehicle outside a mall in the Soweto township, shot the driver and set the vehicle on fire, police said.
🚨 Soweto – Maponya Mall Shooting & Arson 🚨
1 dead, 2 injured after e-hailing vehicles were shot at & torched by suspects at Maponya Mall tonight (13 Aug).#MaponyaMall #Soweto #TaxiViolence #CrimeWatch pic.twitter.com/uedwBDC5SL
— SCP SECURITY (@SCP_SECURITY) August 13, 2025
The gunmen also fired on a second vehicle nearby but the driver escaped before it too was torched.
Residents expressed outrage on Thursday, saying normal business cannot continue after such brutality.
“I was here the whole night. I didn’t sleep. Can you imagine a human being taken out of the car and his body stuck on the steel of the chair? The chair burned to ashes. Then it’s okay, and this mall must operate as normal. Everything is fine, back to business. Who are we? We are animals and we can die everyday,” SABC News quoted one of the residents as saying.
Following yesterday’s killing of an e-hailing driver, community members are refusing workers at Maponya Mall from entering the workplace. They in part blame centre management for the ongoing violence.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/JS3I4O7RTs
— Chriselda Zozi Lewis (Babes Wendaba) (@Chriseldalewis) August 14, 2025
Police and traffic authorities are heavily deployed both inside and outside the mall.
Preliminary reports indicate the attack may be linked to tensions between taxi operators and e-hailing drivers.
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Picture: Facebook/South African Police Service
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
