CAPE TOWN - Long-distance bus company Intercape believes the attacks on its vehicles and drivers have escalated since it started speaking out about the alleged extortion by “rogue taxi associations”.
The latest incident involves the killing of driver and Lower Crossroads resident Bangikhaya Machana, who died days after the attack. His memorial service was held on Tuesday.
Machana’s death is one of the tragedies that have affected the coach company, which has come under attack over the past year, with about 150 attacks recorded.
Speaking about the attack on Machana, police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said the 33-year-old was leaving the Airport Industria depot on April 25 when his assailants shot at him at about 6.30pm, wounding him in the left arm and waist.
“The shooting incident that occurred on April 25 on the corner of Montreal and Morris Close, Airport industria, where a 33-year-old male was shot and wounded, is under investigation. According to reports the victim was driving a bus when he came under attack. The victim sustained gunshot wounds to his left arm and waist. He was taken to a medical facility for medical treatment. The victim, however, succumbed as a result of the injuries sustained and was declared deceased by the medical personnel at the medical facility on April 28,” said Swartbooi.
The coach company said that just days after it went public with information relating to the violent attacks on its coaches, allegedly being waged against the industry by rogue taxi associations, two people were wounded when three more of its buses came under attack in separate incidents in Johannesburg.
The company said the three attacks occurred in Gauteng on the evenings of April 28 and 29.
In the recent violent attacks in Gauteng, last Thursday, a driver had a narrow escape when shots were fired from a sedan vehicle at the bus en route from Pretoria to Mthatha on the M2. Passengers were transferred to another bus after the driver was able to pull over when police responded at the scene.
In another incident on Friday night, a gunman allegedly fired shots from a bridge at the Geldenhuys Interchange from the M2 to join the N3.
The company said: “Video footage from the bus appears to show a gunman stationed on the bridge who fired two shots at the coach, with one of the rounds striking a passenger in the leg. The driver, despite suffering facial injuries from the shattered glass fragments, drove straight to Germiston where he was met by a police vehicle that escorted the coach to Germiston police station. A Germiston Hospital ambulance arrived and treated the injured passenger and driver.”
Intercape chief executive Johann Ferreira said: “We could no longer keep quiet about the extortion and violence directed at Intercape and the long-distance coach industry in this country and we made a public appeal to President Ramaphosa and government and this has since resulted in an escalation of attacks against Intercape coaches … These gunmen and the murderers of our employee in Cape Town are out there walking freely and brazenly and think nothing of shooting at innocent people,” said Ferreira.
Ferreira said the company was engaging with the SAPS at the National Joint Operational Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS) level in a bid to address the violent attacks.
“In the space of just 13 months, there have been over 150 recorded violent incidents, a number of which have led to serious injuries to employees and passengers of the bus operators in the long-distance coach industry,” Intercape said.
Enquiries to the Department of Transport were unanswered by deadline.
Anyone with any information relating to Machana’s murder can contact Crime Stop anonymously on 08600 10111.
Cape Times