At least two people have been killed in the South African city of Cape Town as protests sparked by a dispute between minibus taxi drivers and authorities entered its fifth day.
One person was killed and three were wounded in a shooting near Cape Town International Airport when a group of protesters pelted a car with stones and the driver responded by allegedly firing shots at them, police said on Monday.
The shooting happened while minibus taxis blocked a road near the airport, police said.
A man died of multiple gunshot wounds in a separate shooting that police said they believed was also related to the protests.
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Police also said the shooter would be investigated for murder and attempted murder.
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The British High Commission in South Africa on Monday issued a notice on Facebook after the unrest, advising travellers to delay driving “to and from the airport until the route is cleared”, warning that “GPS services could divert you into less secure areas or into ongoing protests”.
The protests are against a new law that gives Cape Town authorities the power to impound vehicles over offences such as driving without a licence, not displaying registration plates or overloading.
Tensions rose after 15 minibuses were impounded on Tuesday.
Thousands of stranded commuters piled up at bus and taxi stations across the city on Thursday with hundreds opting to walk home late into the night while others slept at the stations as violence erupted.—Reuters
