Five people have died in violent protests relating to a taxi strike in Cape Town, South Africa, officials say.

The victims include a 40-year-old British national whose family is being supported by the UK Foreign Office.

The week-long strike was called in response to what drivers said was “heavy-handed tactics” by law enforcement authorities.

The taxi drivers and owners said their vehicles were being targeted and impounded for minor offences.

Infringements included not wearing a seatbelt and illegally driving in the emergency lane, drivers said. They claimed others doing the same only faced fines.

Minibus taxi operators across Cape Town also aired frustrations that the government was impounding taxis they claimed were not roadworthy.

On Tuesday, South Africa’s transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga ordered the immediate release of the minibus taxis impounded by the City of Cape Town.