Fin24 reports that bus company Intercape claims it is being targeted by suspected members of the taxi industry and says they are demanding millions of rands to protect its buses from attacks.
One of the company's drivers was murdered last week. This after the local long-haul bus industry suffered 150 violent attacks on their vehicles in the past 13 months. The attacks were mainly in key towns and routes in the Eastern Cape, but have now spilled over to the Cape Metropole and Gauteng. Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira says he believes the company became a target after he took a stand against demands he labelled as "extortion". He indicated: "What made Intercape the current target is that I said I have had enough of attempts at extortion. I decided not to remain silent anymore, because their demands would mean I have to close the business. They want me to pay millions of rand to protect our buses from stone throwing. It is a very sensitive matter which the police are investigating." Intercape has safety measures in place, but Ferreira fears these could be angering the attackers even further. While Intercape believes the attacks are coming from perpetrators in the taxi industry, the SA National Taxi Council (Santaco) has distanced itself from the violence. An industry insider described the dilemma faced by bus drivers: "Bus drivers are very scared. They are between a rock and a hard place. If they do not go to work, they will lose their job, and if they go to work, they run the risk of being shot. They do not know what to do and are frustrated, but they have to put bread on the table."
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Carin Smith at Fin24 (subscriber access only)
- Read too, Intercape urges government intervention as attacks from taxi industry grow, at Engineering News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page