Taxi protest turns ugly Cape Town - A man and a woman burnt to death while another person was shot and wounded in the head in separate incidents involving minibus taxis in the Western Cape, police said on Wednesday.
Captain Joe Wilson said a taxi driver was shot and injured in a police chase near Delft on Tuesday, about an hour after protesters dispersed following a march in Cape Town against the introduction of commuter buses.
In a separate incident in the morning, a man and woman burnt to death after stones were thrown at a taxi, causing the driver to lose control and veer into a Wendy house in the suburb Helderberg Park in the Strand.
"The taxi caught fire and two people living in the Wendy house, a man and a woman, were trapped underneath the taxi. They burnt to death," said Inspector Olebogeng Tawana.
Two taxi occupants were slightly injured and a case of culpable homicide was opened. Tawana said the police did not know why stones had been thrown at the taxi driver.
Taxi driver shot at police In the Delft case, Wilson said the driver, in a vehicle without number plates, shot at members of the flying squad who tried to pull him off the road. Police returned fire and the taxi driver was hit in the head, bringing the vehicle to a standstill.
He was taken to a local hospital. His condition was not known. Six occupants of the taxi were arrested for attempted murder and were expected to appear in court on Friday. According to Wilson police could not say whether the group had participated in the taxi protest in town but "they came from the direction of Cape Town".
Senior Superintendent Billy Jones said a total of 42 people had been arrested following the taxi protest in Cape Town. "Most of them face charges of public violence," he said. Among those, six face charges of attempted murder following the incident in Delft.
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