Safe travel is South Africans’ right

It takes about two hours to fly from East London to Durban. The same trip by bus takes more than 12. If you have the choice, it’s a no-brainer.

The fact is, most South Africans don’t have a choice: long-distance buses are the best compromise when you balance vehicle and driver reliability, cost and, until recently, personal safety.

The sooner the department of transport works together with other relevant stakeholders to secure the safety of people using long-distance buses the better.

The Eastern Cape high court recently ordered transport minister Fikile Mbalula and Eastern Cape transport MEC XolileNqatha to meet their obligation to keep bus drivers and their passengers safe.

The attacks on buses belonging to long-distance bus operator Intercape (and others) are allegedly orchestrated by disgruntled elements of the taxi industry.

Many people who cannot afford to fly resort to buses for long distances.

You know when you will depart and when you will arrive at your destination. Drivers are required to drive within the legal (and safe) speed limit.

By contrast, unregulated taxi operators often risk passengers’ lives to maximise their profits.

Very soon, thousands of students will be travelling back home for the holidays after the exams: most parents trust these buses with their children.

December will see many working people using the shutdown break to spend Christmas with family and friends, often far away. They too will be using long-distance buses.

These attacks are not just an attack on a business: they are an assault on the very heart of our communities. It shouldn’t take a court order for the state to act decisively and urgently to protect people at their most vulnerable.

Congratulations to the team at Sunshine Coast Tourism for the award recognising their proactive marketing of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast.

Their vision of collaboration among tourism nodes, as well as between agencies, is an important part of their successful formula.

This region has so much to offer not only the people who live here, but also tourists who are a crucial part of our economy.

We hope that the contractual dispute that has led to a days-long water outage in Port Alfred can be resolved quickly and sustainably before the’holiday season starts.