The police authorities in South Africa say 11 people were killed when gunmen ambushed and opened fire on a minibus carrying members of a taxi drivers’ association.

Police Brig. Jay Naicker said the victims of the Saturday night attack had attended a colleague’s funeral and were returning home when the attack which also left four other persons in critical conditions occurred.

Naicker disclosed that the attack happened between the towns of Colenso and Weenen in KwaZulu-Natal province, adding that all the victims hailed from Gauteng province.

Although he said the police were investigating the motives behind the attack, tensions between groups of taxi drivers vying for the same routes have often led to deadly violence in South Africa.

About two months ago, South African media reported the killing of 10 people in violence related to rivalries among minibus taxi drivers in Cape Town.