Cape Town – Dunoon ward councillor Lubabalo Makeleni believes that “a syndicate” using land invasions was behind the recent attacks on two MyCiTi buses and a truck in the Milnerton area at the weekend.
He said these were “well accomplished people who use poor people’s need for shelter to make money”.
The City’s fire and rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said firefighters responded to a MyCiTi bus alight in Dunoon at about 6.45am on Saturday.
He said the Milnerton and Brooklyn fire crews were escorted by police to the incident in Potsdam Road and managed to extinguish the blaze almost an hour later.
No passengers were found to be on the bus.
He said a few hours later they received a call of a truck alight in Freedom Way, Joe Slovo Park.
“Same stations were dispatched, Milnerton and Brooklyn. No injuries.”
Hours later, a second bus was also burnt on Race Course Road.
Makeleni said the “land invasion syndicate is targeting trucks and buses to draw attention”.
He said he was aware that a group of unknown individuals was inciting the torching of the trucks as they were against the development meant for the vulnerable.
“They invade land, divide it among themselves and sell it to those in need. These people must be held accountable because they are disrupting operations and destabilising the area."
On Youth Day, his office was petrol bombed by a group of about 30 people.
Following the recent attacks, police spokesperson Andrè Traut said a case of public violence was being investigated.
No one has been arrested as yet, Traut added.
“Police members reacted to the protest and the crowd was dispersed. Our members will remain in the area to maintain law and order,” he said.