Seven killed in S.Africa shootings linked to taxi rivalry

Armed men shot and killed four people at a taxi rank in central Johannesburg on Thursday, South African police said, reporting a similar shooting near the city the day before that killed three others.

The shootings are believed to be linked to rivalries between taxi associations, police said, with assassinations and violence marking the competitive and lucrative industry for decades.

Minibus taxis are the main mode of transport for the majority of South Africans.

A group of armed men in a vehicle pulled up at a rank in Johannesburg's Jeppestown area early Thursday and opened fire, a police spokeswoman told AFP.

A taxi driver, a person managing the taxi queues and two hawkers were killed, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi told AFP.

Three people were wounded -- a university student, a driver and a taxi passenger, she said, adding that "The shooting is suspected to be taxi violence related."

Three taxi drivers were killed in a similar shooting on Wednesday at a rank in the Katlehong area southeast of the city, the spokeswoman said.

Two passengers were wounded. "It is reported that a group of people came there and started shooting randomly," Nevhuhulwi said.

South Africa has a high murder rate that averages to around 75 killings day, according to police statistics that do not categorise deaths linked to the long-running taxi wars.