Africa-Press – South-Africa. Two attacks on Intercape buses took place on Wednesday, bringing the number of attacks this week to three.
On Wednesday, one of the long-haul buses came under fire on the N2 highway near Nyanga, just before the Jakes Gerwel off-ramp. The driver was shot and wounded, Intercape said in a statement.
“[The driver] took the off-ramp but was unable to keep the vehicle on the road. The driver was attended to on the scene before being rushed to hospital,” the statement said.
The coach was en route to Cape Town station to load passengers and there were no passengers on board at the time of the attack.
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A short while later, a second Intercape coach was shot at in the same area. No one was injured and there were no passengers on board at the time. The coach was forced to return to the company depot in Airport Industria.
The attacks came after a driver was shot and wounded outside the depot on Sunday. The driver was in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
The shootings form part of a string of attacks against the long-haul bus company. There have been more than 150 attacks in just over a year.
Western Cape Transport MEC Daylin Mitchell said he was “deeply saddened and angry” at the shooting incidents.
He said:
“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,” he said.
The MEC added that his 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,” he said.
News24 previously reported that Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira believed the attacks were part of a “violent campaign waged against the industry by rogue taxi associations”.
Bus driver shooting part of ‘violent campaign’ against long-haul industry – Intercape
He said the attacks aimed to force long-distance coach companies out of operating in certain regions and routes.
Most of the attacks on the bus company have taken place on key routes in the Eastern Cape, with some violence spilling over to the Western Cape and Gauteng.
A number of the attacks have led to serious injuries to employees and passengers, said Ferreira.
In April, 35-year-old Intercape bus driver Bangikhaya Machana died in hospital days after being shot outside the company’s depot.
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