Cape Town - Long-distance bus company Intercape has called on newly appointed Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and police to urgently intervene after the operator came under renewed attack from taxi operators.
An Intercape bus en route to Pretoria from Gqeberha was shot at on the Penhoek Pass on the N6. A passenger was shot and wounded and rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment.
Another incident on Wednesday in Dutywa in the Eastern Cape, Intercape staff and security were threatened repeatedly by taxi operators in Idutywa.
The N2 highway near Idutywa was blocked off for several hours by local taxi associations in protest at Intercape operating from this and surrounding towns.
Intercape has accused police and transport authorities of being “missing in action” and say this has emboldened taxi associations and operators who are again brazenly targeting its operations and passengers.
Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira has pleaded for support.
“I am openly pleading with all South Africans to stand up and call on government to put a stop to this anarchy. How can we allow criminals to shoot up a coach carrying innocent people?
“This lawlessness is not only about Intercape. It affects multiple sectors as well as members of the public caught in the crossfire.
“At this rate our country will be overrun by thuggery and the time has come to say, enough is enough! We should never be in a position where this type of violent criminality becomes normalised, and the State does precisely nothing.
“The justice system correctly compels them to act and they just ignore court orders. Are we an irretrievable gangster state? Should we all just give up?” Ferreira asked.
Ferreira said that on Thursday again they approached the High Court in Makhanda with an urgent application to compel police and national and provincial transport authorities to comply with earlier court orders to provide for the safety and security of Intercape’s drivers and passengers.
Ferreira added that it had deployed its own private security officers in hotspot towns in the Eastern Cape.
“But that the moment Intercape withdrew its private security officers because it cannot afford, and should not be required, to pay private security officers to do that which the SAPS is obligated to do the intimidation recommenced,” he said.
In a 44-page affidavit written by the company, it stated: “Five months have since passed. Still the MEC and the Minister (of Transport) have not developed an action plan which complies with the requirements of the court order. That which they did prepare fell woefully short of the mark.
“Worse, the minimal intervention for which the action plan does provide has not been properly implemented.” the affidavit read.
Meanwhile in 2022, the previous transport ministry had proposed, among other measures, establishing a multidisciplinary task team comprising the SAPS, the SA Revenue Service, the National Prosecuting Authority, and the National Intelligence Agency to tackle the scourge of violence that continues to plague the industry.
It also recommended that an integrated stabilisation plan be developed by the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure’s transport priority committee to respond to the challenges.
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