Eleven taxi drivers shot dead in South Africa on return from funeral



Gunmen have shot dead 11 taxi drivers returning to Johannesburg from the funeral of a colleague in Kwa-Zulu Natal, a police spokesman said on Sunday.

The drivers, who were members of the Gauteng taxi association, were in a minibus driving on the R74 road when unknown gunmen launched an ambush firing on the vehicle.

"There was a shooting at about 8pm [local time] last night. The vehicle was ambushed. There were 11 fatalities. Four were seriously injured and are in hospital," Kwa-Zulu Natal spokesman Jay Naicker said.

"We understand they were from the Gauteng taxi association. There has been a lot of taxi violence in the area but we are still investigating who the perpetrators were."

Minibus taxis are the most popular form of transport in South Africa and violence is common by rival groups vying for dominance on profitable routes.