Daily News reports that an alleged route dispute between mini-bus and bus associations in the Newlands West area in Durban claimed the life of a bus driver on Monday night.
The driver, Sarvesh Gopichand, 23, had passengers on board when a gunman stepped onto the roadway near Jackcastle Avenue in Newlands West and began shooting at the bus. The 23-year-old driver collapsed on the bus bonnet from gunshot wounds. Apparently his conductor steered the bus and pulled the handbrake switch saving the bus from colliding into nearby homes. Netcare 911 spokesperson Shawn Herbst said the bullets struck the driver in the chest and he died at the scene. Violence between operators of the two modes of transport has escalated since October 2018. In March 2019, four buses were petrol bombed, on separate occasions, in Newlands West. The eThekwini Transport Authority (ETA) said the conflict was about the competition for passengers between taxis and privately owned / unsubsidised bus operators.
- Read Zainul Dawood’s full report on this story at Daily News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page