Mpumalanga premier accused of using bus deaths to boost ANC popularity

A war of words has erupted between bus company Putco and the Mpumalanga government, with Putco suggesting Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane was targeting the company to boost her popularity ahead of the ANC’s provincial elective conference.

The premier was quoted as saying Putco had little or no regard for people lives, used buses that were unfit for the road and should be removed from the Mpumalanga-Tshwane transit corridor.

On Thursday morning Mtsweni-Tsipane led a blitz at the company’s Moloto terminus that saw at least 15 Putco buses impounded for expired operating permits.

Mohita Latchminarain, who was recently appointed MEC for public works, roads and transport when Mtsweni-Tsipane reshuffled her cabinet, as well as her health counterpart Sasekani Manzini, key to the premier’s ambition to lead the ANC in the province, were part of the operation.

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Public works, roads and transport spokesperson Frederick Dhlamini said the operation began at 4am and it was not the first time Putco was targeted.

He said on June 15 they impounded 12 Putco buses for expired permits and confirmed that 15 buses were impounded on Thursday for the same reason.

“Some of the permits expired as far back as 2018 but had passengers on board. Without a valid permit, the bus is on the road illegally. This means if something happens, the Road Accident Fund and other insurance claims will not pay out. In some buses fire extinguishers were expired, with just an empty bottle hanging there,” Dhlamini said.

But Putco (Public Utility Transport Corporation) has charged that operating permits had nothing to do with road safety and its extinguishers were up to required standards.

Spokesperson Matlakala Motloung charged that authorities had no business impounding its buses as its certificate of roadworthy (CR) that were issued every six months were valid.

“Only an invalid certificate of roadworthy prevents a bus from being on the road, not an operating permit. That is a permission to use a road and has nothing to do with the roadworthiness of the vehicle,” she said.

Motloung said Mtsweni-Tsipane’s statements and actions were unfortunate and regrettable, particularly at a time when emotions about six people who died when their bus caught alight last month were still fresh.

She suggested the premier was riding on the wave of the heightened emotions to boost her chances for the hotly contested position of ANC provincial chairperson.

“It is unfortunate because there is no final report on the cause of the fire or DNA results to positively identify the victims, hence they have not been buried. The emotions are still very raw and the premier’s actions and statements are regrettable,” Motloung said.

She said lapsed operating permits were not of Putco’s making but that of the cumbersome application process, which results in permits expiring while it is waiting for renewal applications to be processed.

Mtsweni-Tsipane’s spokesperson, Sibongile Mkani-Mpolweni, could not be reached for comment.

The identification of the bodies burnt beyond recognition has been affected by the DNA testing backlog at the national laboratories, so the Mpumalanga provincial government has hired private laboratories to speed up the process.

siphom@citizen.co.za