The Police are offering a R500 000 reward for information that might lead to the arrest of persons responsible for the death of six persons when a bus carrying 50 mineworkers was set alight by what is suspected to have been a petrol bomb at Driekop outside Burgersfort on Monday evening.
Provincial Police Commissioner Nneke Ledwaba has assembled a high level team of investigators comprising of members of the Organized Crime Unit, Limpopo Hawks and the Crime Intelligence Unit to track down the suspects.
Provincial Police Corporate Communications Head Motlafela Mojapelo indicated that a bus owned by Segweka Bus Services collected Modikwa Platinum Mine night shift workers between 20:00 and 21:00 in the area. When the bus stopped at Driekop two suspects allegedly got onto the bus and reportedly dropped what seemed to have been a petrol bomb before fleeing the scene, according to Mojapelo. He added that the bus was quickly engulfed in flames and occupants tried to escape through the windows. Twenty-eight passengers suffered burn wounds and were taken to a nearby hospital while four men and two women were burnt beyond recognition inside the bus.
“We will not sleep until the people responsible for this gruesome incident are apprehended. We call on community members to assist the Police in their quest to swiftly crack this case and any valuable information received will be treated with the strictest confidentiality,” Ledwaba said.
Police have opened six cases of murder and anyone with information can contact officers Richard Boshomane on 079 894 5501 or Bethuel Mahlatji on 079 657 6873.
Limpopo MEC for Transport and Community Safety Makoma Makhurupetje in a press release condemned the cruel act and issued a strong warning to those involved to expect having to face the full might of the law. She urged law enforcers to leave no stone unturned until those responsible are brought to justice.
Makhurupetje who was expected to visit Driekop yesterday (Wednesday) in order to assess the situation, expressed her deepest condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo issued a press statement expressing the opinion that there can never be any reasonable justification for this kind of criminality.
“We condemn this barbaric act which unfortunately takes place when the country and the whole world is mourning the departure of the Mother of our Nation, Winnie Madikizela Mandela. We call upon law enforcement agencies to act swiftly in investigating this senseless crime in order to speedily bring these criminals before a court of law,” the statement read.
Story: RC Myburgh
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