Cape Town - Police are on the hunt for brazen modern-day highwaymen, one armed with a rifle, who held up a packed bus and robbed its frightened passengers.
At around 12.30pm in Gugulethu on Saturday a bus driver was forced to stop his vehicle by seven armed men.
In a minute-long video shared on social media, the suspects hop on to the Golden Arrow bus on NY 3A; one of them has a backpack from which another takes out a rifle.
Five men are inside the bus while two are standing at the door.
After the robbery they disembark and can be seen putting the rifle back into the backpack.
Golden Arrow Bus Services spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said: “Golden Arrow can confirm that the footage forms part of an active investigation related to a robbery which took place on September 16.”
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the suspects had not been arrested.
“According to reports, the complainant in the matter, employed at a local transport company as a driver, was driving in NY 3A in Gugulethu on Saturday at around 12.30. Unknown males entered the vehicle, threatened the complainant and forced him to stop the vehicle.
“The suspects then robbed all the passengers of their cellphones, cash and valuables at gunpoint. The suspects then disembarked, fled the scene and are yet to be arrested. The motive for this attack is robbery. Gugulethu police registered a case of robbery with a firearm for further investigation.”
Community Policing Forum member Linda Kabeni said residents needed to stand up against such incidents.
“We need to be proactive because if Golden Arrow decides to take its services away from the area, the people will complain. We condemn the robbery because commuters could be left stranded.
“We can’t always look to the police, because we have shortages of staff and vehicles, so we rely on residents to assist and we know that the neighbourhood watch members are assisting.”
He urged the City to install cameras in Gugulethu.
“We also would like the City of Cape Town to assist by fixing the CCTV cameras, so we can see the suspects and allow the police to follow up with arrests. We have been asking for the devices for a long time, but nothing has happened and those cameras we have aren’t working. The police can’t be everywhere and that is when the cameras would assist.”
Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said they were informed of the robbery incident.
“We are aware of the incident, which is under investigation by the SAPS. It is completely unacceptable that commuters are subjected to this type of crime. Everyone has the right to travel safely and with dignity. I call on the SAPS to ensure that this matter is investigated thoroughly and the perpetrators brought to book.”
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union spokesperson Amanda Tshemese said these challenges were nothing new, they had been there for years, and as a union they’d been communicating them as well.
“Western Cape is the worst province facing criminality in the passenger sector. More than anything, we are more concerned about the safety of our workers and the commuters too.
“Their safety is our priority. We are talking about parents who wake up early in the morning to provide for their families. Now can you imagine when that person does not come back home after work because they got shot and killed by the criminals? It is devastating. We even engaged with the government on this matter, but unfortunately we see nothing being done. We will continue seeking ways to prevent this.
“The employer must also play a role in this matter; they are failing the workers so much. In terms of counselling, yes sometimes the employer provides it, but it is not enough, counselling means nothing when the workers are still going to face the same problem the next morning.”
Anyone with information or who witnessed the incident is kindly requested to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.