Africa-Press – South-Africa. Three people have been arrested in connection with an attack on a bus in George in the Western Cape, in which 11 people were injured.
The Go George bus was in Pacaltsdorp, travelling to the George central business district, when it was struck by two petrol bombs early on the morning of 1 March.
“One of the bombs shattered the window and exploded inside the vehicle, injuring 11 passengers on board. They were all taken to hospital for further medical care,” said police spokesperson, Sergeant Christopher Spies.
Among those injured were four children.
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ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring previously told News24 that paramedics found the bus parked on the side of the road in front of a school while passengers, including children, sat on the pavement. Many of them suffered minor to moderate burns and wounds.
Police arrested the three people in Pacaltsdorp on Wednesday after an “extensive and intricate investigation” by officers working on taxi violence, said Spies.
They are expected to appear in the George Magistrate’s Court on Friday, on charges of attempted murder, arson, malicious damage to property and malicious damage to municipal infrastructure.
The petrol bomb attack came a day after the Go George bus service announced its expansion into Thembalethu.
After the attack, Western Cape Mobility MEC Ricardo Mackenzie said it would not halt the plan to roll out the Go George service to Thembalethu.
Mackenzie met representatives of the taxi industry immediately after the attack, as part of a series of planned meetings aimed at ensuring “a smooth and peaceful rollout of the new routes”.
Mackenzie said: “I condemn these acts of violence in the strongest possible terms and will not accept any intimidation in relation to the rollout of the Go George service to Thembalethu.
“The Western Cape government is committed to providing safe, affordable and reliable public transport to all our communities in the province, and we note that the Thembalethu community has been waiting for the Go George service for many years now.”
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