Johannesburg - Intercape has appointed security consultant Paul O’Sullivan to assess the security risk of travelling in the north of Mozambique following an attack on one of the company’s buses, allegedly by rebels, at the weekend.
The bus, from the Mozambique branch of the South African company, was travelling in Muxungue en route to Beira when six armed men signalled for the driver, Jaime Bule, to stop the bus.
Intercape spokesperson advocate Roelien van der Walt said that when the driver saw the men were not wearing any uniform, he became suspicious and accelerated past them.
The men, who are believed to be from the former rebel group Renamo, then opened fire on the bus.
“There were 49 passengers on board and two passengers sustained minor injuries. They were immediately transferred to the nearest hospital… They were attended to and discharged within a few hours,” Van der Walt said.
She said the company had since stopped all routes to the north of Mozambique and was in high-level talks with officials from the South African and Mozambican governments.
“We have in addition obtained the services of security expert Paul O’Sullivan to assess the security risks in the region in order that we may make an informed decision on the way forward,” Van der Walt said.
She said the route from South Africa to the southern part of Mozambique was safe and services would remain.
“Service in the northern region will not resume unless we have absolute certainty that it is safe to do so,” Van der Walt said.
Meanwhile, Sapa reported that on the same day, the rebels had attacked a truck and killed its three occupants.
The truck was transporting petrol to Maputo when the group, reportedly armed with AK-47s, stopped the truck.
Earlier last week, Renamo was also reported to have attacked a team of police officers in the town of Muxungue, killing four.
The attacks prompted Mozambican President Armando Guebuza to issue a warning to the rebel group that the state would “respond firmly” to the attacks. - The Star