An Intercape Bus crashed off the N2 at the M7 Jakes Gerwel drive offramp last night after the driver was allegedly shot at by unknown suspects.
Social media reports suggest the bus driver was shot and injured while on his way to pick up passengers in Cape Town just after 20h00.
The motive of the shooting is not known, however, the long-distance bus company has been under attack from criminal elements purportedly linked to the minibus taxi industry.
Between January 2021 and February 2022, the bus company has endured more than 150 shootings, stonings and other acts of violence and intimidation directed at bus drivers and passengers.
The attacks occurred in the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and Gauteng.
Another driver is recovering in hospital after he was shot and wounded outside its depot in Airport Industria in Cape Town on Sunday, 31 July.
He is in a stable condition.
Intercape bus driver shot, loses control of bus and crashes on N2 near Cape Townhttps://t.co/pPYRYcpGiV pic.twitter.com/kbfAzjYHCM
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) August 3, 2022
This attack came three months after driver Bangikhaya Machana was shot in the left arm and waist at an Intercape depot in Cape Town on 25 April.
The 35-year-old father of two young children died from his injuries three days later.
After Machana’s death, the long-distance coach industry called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to respond to the attacks. Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira said the murder of long-distance bus drivers is part of a “campaign of violence” against the industry.
Western Cape mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell has condemned the latest attack on Intercape and the attempted murder of its driver.
Following the incident, on Sunday, Mitchell held talks with Ferreira and police oversight and community safety MEC Reagen Allen.
Mitchell echoed that the continued brazen attacks on long-distance buses constitute organised crime, perpetrated by a criminal element purportedly linked to the minibus taxi industry.
“When I first heard about the reported spike in attacks on buses on routes between the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng, I [took] steps to ensure the matter has been brought to the attention of relevant authorities in the security and enforcement environment for the urgent coordination of investigations and interventions,” he said.
