South Africa's newly appointed Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, has inherited a high court verdict from her predecessor, Sindisiwe Chikunga, ordering her department to protect buses from attacks by taxi bosses seeking to monopolise long-distance passenger routes.
The court order, obtained by Intercape, aims to prevent the violent intimidation and sabotage of its buses by members of the National Taxi Alliance and other taxi associations.
This comes amid an ongoing turf war between the bus company and taxi operators over lucrative long-haul routes in a matter that dates back to Fekile Mbalula’s tenure as transport minister (Chikunga’s predecessor).
Mbalula, who is now serving as the ruling ANC party’s secretary general, resisted Intercape’s initial efforts to act against violent attacks on buses in several incidents that claimed the life of a bus driver, Bangikhaya Machana.
Last August it was found that Mbalula refused to take action against taxi criminals when requested by a bus company, and even appealed a court order to do so, suggesting he may have had interests in the taxi industry.
On April 25, 2022, an unidentified man fired over a dozen bullets at an Intercape bus as it exited its Cape Town depot.
Machana,who was 35 years old at the time, was critically wounded and died of his injuries four days later.
In her opening address at the Southern African Transport Conference (SATC), Creecy acknowledged the challenges facing the transport sector, including logistical issues and road safety concerns.
She pledged to address these problems comprehensively during her term, emphasising the importance of an efficient transport system for economic growth and job creation.
Creecy also highlighted recent developments, such as the establishment of the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) and the adoption of the Freight Logistics Roadmap by Cabinet.
The NLCC, chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa, aims to ensure stability across various supply chain and logistics sectors.
As the new transport minister, Creecy has inherited a complex situation that requires balancing the interests of different stakeholders while upholding the rule of law.
Her commitment to addressing the challenges in the transport sector will be tested as she navigates this legal battle to protect Intercape buses and maintain order on long-distance passenger routes.
Creecy made no mention of the case in her address at the SATC.
However, she said: "We will work together to decrease levels of conflict and violence which pose a significant risk to the sector and to commuters(*). "
The ANC has long been suspected of protecting taxi-industry bosses, accused of contributing to lawlessness in South Africa and endangering the lives of other road users through bad driver behaviour and the use of unroadworthy vehicles.
In one of the most recent incidents involving the taxi industry, 12 school-going children died when the driver of the taxi they were travelling in lost control of his vehicle and crashed, causing the taxi to catch fire.
* Read Creecy's full address to the SATC.
