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Parliament’s Tourism Committee has called for the South African Police Service (SAPS) to arrest the perpetrators responsible for a spate of organised attacks targeting Intercape buses in the Eastern and Western Cape.
This follows the ongoing attacks aimed at the long-distance buses, where the drivers are shot at and the buses stoned and set alight.
The continued brazen attacks on Intercape raises fears of implications on the tourism sector.
“Intercape has 69 cases pending relating to attacks on their buses. The Eastern and Western Cape provinces registered 61 and eight cases respectively. The committee was concerned that no arrests in connection with the Intercape cases were made in the Eastern Cape,” said the parliamentary tourism committee media officer, Jabulani Majozi.
The ongoing attacks are believed to be perpetuated by the taxi operators due to the bus fares.
The committee heard that the taxi operators threatened violence if Intercape does not increase their bus fares.
The police told the committee that there has been a high increase of the violent attacks aimed at Intercape, Trans Lux and Greyhound in the past 12 months.
The police said the attacks include acts of extortion, attempted murder, stoning and other assault and intimidation of bus drivers, and obstructing road.
The committee wants also want the police to use the same efforts to curb the taxi violence in the country.
Last month, the SAPS made a breakthrough and arrested a suspect linked to the deadly attacks on Intercape which occurred earlier in March and April.
The 28-year-old suspect was traced and apprehended at Klapmuts in the Cape Winelands in connection with two Intercape bus attacks, where one driver lost his life.
The suspects is charged with the murder of Bangikhaya Machana, 35, who was shot while driving at the Airport Industrial bus depot, he died three days later in hospital.
The suspect is facing charges of murder and attempted murder.
NOW READ: Intercape blames taxi operators for spate of attacks
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