Today's Labour News

Sunday Times reports that the family members of Rendani Tshilande, a Rea Vaya bus driver who was shot and killed last Monday night, are reeling and struggling to come to terms with his death.

“He left Limpopo going to Joburg for work and he came back as a dead body,” said his uncle Reverend Fhulufhelo Tshilande. Rendani worked for Rea Vaya for about 10 years. On the day of the incident, the 48-year-old had left in the afternoon for his shift and the family later received a call of his tragic fatal shooting at about 9pm. Reverend Tshilande said Rendani left behind five children including a six-month-old baby. “We have lost so much as a family. We have lost a son whom we had expected a lot from. The children have lost a father and we don't know what is to become of them. Some family members are struggling to come to terms with this, they can't even eat,” he lamented. The family of Samuel Silinda, 30, who was also killed in a separate incident the same night are also failing to come to terms with the tragic news. On Tuesday, Gauteng police confirmed they were investigating two cases of murder after Tshilande and Silinda were killed in separate incidents. In the one incident, the driver (Silinda) had stopped at a robot along Wild Chestnut Street in Protea Glen, when he was shot and killed by unknown suspects. In the second incident at Tshithuthune Street, Mapetla in Soweto, an eyewitness who was the last passenger on the bus heard gunshots and took cover. The driver (Rendani) lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wall. He was declared dead on the scene. The passenger sustained no injuries. There are as yet no suspects and police investigations are continuing.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Shonisani Tshikalange at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)

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