Police seal off taxi war township

Violence continued in nearby Nyanga

Heavily armed blockades around the South African township of Khayelitsha caused massive disruption throughout Thursday.

All buses and taxis have been excluded for 24 hours, in a police effort to halt the conflict between private minibus taxi operators and a local bus company.

Thousands of people have been prevented from getting to work in Cape Town, but correspondents say many commuters felt this was a small price to pay for an end to the conflict which has claimed at least seven lives.

Recent attacks on buses have been blamed on the operators of minibus taxis, who resent the subsidies which are paid to the bus company, Golden Arrow.

Soldiers manned roadblocks in and out of Khayelitsha

The security crackdown began at midnight on Wednesday, with police backed up by soldiers and helicopters blocking roads in and out of the township.

Hennie Bester, police minister for Western Cape province, described it as a "successful day".

Mr Bester said

• eight taxis had been impounded
• three people arrested
• 19 guns taken for forensic tests
• two stolen vehicles recovered.

But an empty bus and other vehicles were set alight in another township, Nyanga.

Memorial service

A memorial service was held for the latest victim, where a spokesman for the bus company said everything possible would be done to end the killings.

He also called for all taxi licences in the area to be revoked until the drivers gave a commitment to peaceful methods.

If there are any more instances of shooting or killing we will close Khayelitsha again... for one week

Provincial minister Piet Meyer

The crackdown, involving both the police and the army, is intended as a warning that the gang leaders responsible for the shootings will no longer be allowed to get away with murder.

Though the blockades are being lifted, a heavy security presence is expected to remain in place for some weeks yet.

"If there are any more instances of shooting or killing we will close Khayelitsha again, and the next time it will not be for 24 hours but for one week," said provincial Transport Minister Piet Meyer.

Climate of terror

A spate of more than 70 attacks on buses has created a climate of terror in the last few months.

Trains and buses are not enough to meet commuter demands

Four bus drivers and two passengers have been killed in attacks blamed on contract killers hired by the drivers of the shared taxis.

Dozens more have been injured and a taxi driver has also died.

The two main taxi operators' associations in the region have denied involvement in the attacks.

But police say that two taxi drivers were among the nine people arrested at the weekend, and charged with murder and attempted murder in connection with the attacks.

The taxi drivers who operate in Khayelitsha are opposed to what they say is unfair competition from the government-subsidised Golden Arrow.

This has allowed the company to charge lower fares than the minibus taxi operators, and attract more passengers.

But the bus company owners believe they are being targeted by the operators of illegal taxis.

The taxi industry has developed in a situation where subsidised buses and trains do not have the capacity to carry all the commuters who travel each day.

Apartheid city planning forced many black employees to live far from their workplaces. Khayelitsha is some 30km (20 miles) from central Cape Town.