Call for plan to halt arson attacks
PROVINCIAL transport committee chairperson Nceba Hinana said he planned to hold a meeting with Transport MEC Donald Grant to “deal decisively with the sabotage” of public transport in the Western Cape.
Hinana raised his concern following the torching of a MyCiTi bus in Milnerton yesterday.
He wanted Grant to outline a plan to prevent the destabilisation of public transport from continuing and stop incidents of arson. “In recent times, the MyCiTi bus service has experienced numerous challenges and these have often caused their services to grind to a halt, leaving thousands of commuters stranded,” Hinana said.
Businesses were left counting the cost from loss of productivity when disruptions to the public transport system prevented workers from reporting for work on time.
Police should speedily find out who was responsible for the arson attack. “Acts of arson against state resources and infrastructure are tantamount to sabotage,” he said.
The torching of the MyCiTi bus on the corner of Racecourse and Omuramba roads comes amid a wildcat strike by MyCiTi bus drivers. City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said three to four suspects instructed the bus driver to get out of the bus, then set it alight. “The motive (for the attack) has yet to be determined, but it is very likely that this incident forms part of the ongoing intimidation of MyCiTi personnel who are not participating in the wildcat strike.”
Hundreds of MyCiTi bus drivers and other employees have been camping outside the Civic Centre for four weeks, demanding to be directly employed by the City of Cape Town.
One of the drivers there, Luzuko Memani, said they had nothing to do with the torching of the bus. They were waiting for officials to attend to their demands.