Minister Mitchell expresses his anger and frustration as more bus drivers are targeted in shooting incidents
Media Release by Daylin Mitchell, Western Cape Minister of Mobility
I am deeply saddened and angry at yet another shooting incident in which drivers of a long distance bus company were targeted by unknown gunmen last night.
This is the third incident in this week alone in which drivers of the company’s buses have been shot at in cold blood by thugs whose sole aim is to intimidate and harass the employees and owners of the company.
Two of the company’s coaches were targeted and shot at in attacks in Cape Town at around 8pm on Wednesday evening. In the first incident, which occurred on the N2 highway near Nyanga, the driver of a bus was shot and wounded in the stomach and leg, causing him to lose control of the bus, which rolled down the embankment. Thankfully, the driver of a second bus, which was driving a short distance behind the first and which was also fired upon by the same gunmen, was unharmed.
This incident happened on the eve of a meeting on Friday of the Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, where the recent spate of extortion and of attacks on buses, including Golden Arrow buses as well as coaches serving long distance routes, will be discussed.
I have taken steps to ensure that the matter is brought to the attention of relevant authorities in the security and enforcement environment for the urgent coordination of investigations and interventions after this spike in attacks on buses on routes between the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. However, my calls appear to have fallen on deaf ears.
This growing trend of extortion must be dealt with as a matter of urgency before more lives are lost.
I am concerned that no action has been taken by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, who was tasked by President Ramaphosa on 6 June already, to coordinate an urgent and crucial national intervention to address the growing trend of extortion and racketeering that impacts the public transport sector across provincial boundaries.
The growing number of incidents point to a dismal failure of crime intelligence, investigation and enforcement. The citizens of the Western Cape and all road users deserve to be protected from the heartless criminals who are threatening the lives of public transport users and operators.
Thuggery and extortion will not be tolerated in the Western Cape.
Media Queries:
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka
Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell
Cell: 082 953 0026
Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za