Rustenburg - A traffic officer shot a taxi driver dead in Bloemfontein following a skirmish as he tried to enforce traffic rules, Free State police said.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thandi Mbambo said a scuffle ensued when the traffic officer tried to stop the taxi driver in the central business district.
"During the scuffle the taxi driver allegedly grabbed a knife from the taxi and tried to stab the traffic officer who subsequently fired a shot that fatally wounded the taxi driver. The driver was declared dead at the scene," Mbambo said.
"The knife that was found in possession of the deceased was confiscated. Subsequent cases of attempted murder and failure to obey traffic regulations have been registered against the deceased."
Free State police were investigating a case of murder against the the traffic officer, she added.