Special unit nab suspect in deadly Intercape bus attacks

A team of serious violent crimes unit detectives focusing on transport related violence has arrested a suspect in connection with murder and attempted murder cases for attacks on Intercape busses in Cape Town.

The 28-year-old suspect was nabbed in the early hours of Saturday in Klapmuts in the Cape Winelands during a tracing operation.

This was in connection with two attacks in March and April, one of which was fatal.

In the first attack, shots were fired at an Intercape bus in Cape Town but no one was injured.

In April, Bangikhaya Machana, 35, was hit and sustained serious injuries and died three days later after the Intercape bus he was driving was shot at.

Western Cape provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Novela Potelwa, said the suspect will appear in the Bishop Lavis magistrate’s court on Monday on charges of murder and attempted murder.

She said the Transport Violence Team is also currently hard at work probing other cases linked to the attacks on Intercape busses.

The arrest of the suspect, Novela said, will go a long way in their efforts to curb the attacks on the long distance bus service.

“Western Cape police with other agencies in law enforcement have since intensified deployments along identified routes and hotspots. Meanwhile engagements with affected parties continue,” she said.

Novela added that Western Cape SA Police Service management applauded the sterling work of the team in efforts to apprehend those responsible for the violence.

Early this month the inter-provincial bus operators laid bare the terrifying and deadly environment under which they have been forced to operate due to concerted attacks, murder, assault, extortion and intimidation.

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Bus operators Autopax, Golden Arrows and Intercape Other told the Western Cape provincial Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works that other than being told where and when to load passengers or not, operators are also told what to charge passengers or face deadly consequences.

The under-siege operators detailed how their buses have been stoned, shot at and drivers killed or paralysed, with the attacks leaving passengers and staff frightened, with even retail outlets intimidated not to sell the operator’s bus coupons.

Moreover, some areas in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape have been declared as no-go zones.

Elements in the taxi industry in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape have been blamed for the attacks and extortion, including demanding millions of rands for the safe passage of buses to certain areas.

It is not clear at this stage if the arrested suspected had any links to the taxi industry.