South African police have established a special task force to investigate the fatal shooting of 11 taxi drivers over the weekend.

The new team will have at its disposal "specialised units, including crime intelligence, the Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation (Hawks) and detectives," according to Police Commissioner Lt Gen Khehla Sitole. He says police now have a 72-hour plan to trace and arrest suspects.

The men from Gauteng province were travelling to Johannesburg on Saturday night when their minibus was fired at.

The dead men, and four more who were critically injured, were returning from a colleague's funeral in the coastal region of Kwa-Zulu Natal, police said. Their vehicle was found riddled with 255 bullet holes, according to police.

The motive is unclear although rivalry between groups running minibus taxi routes in South Africa has led to violence in the past. There have been other deadly shootings in the east of Johannesburg.

Minibus taxis are one of the most popular modes of transport in South Africa. They carry about 14 million passengers daily.