Long-distance coach company Intercape earlier this month appeared before the Western Cape legislature’s Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works, as well as members of the senior provincial police management, to plead for urgent interventions to stop the continuing attacks on its vehicles.

In the latest incident, two Intercape coaches came under fire near Nyanga on August 3. An Intercape driver was shot and seriously wounded in one of the incidents.

The August 3 attacks came only days after another driver was shot and critically wounded outside the company’s depot in Airport Industria, in Cape Town.

In April, 35-year-old Intercape bus driver Bangikhaya Machana died after being shot outside the company’s depot.

In August’s sitting of the standing committee, Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira again requested authorities to step in and protect the company and the long-distance coach industry from continued intimidation and violent attacks.

According to Intercape, there have been more than 141 incidents targeting Intercape since the start of this year alone.

These include 92 incidents of intimidation, including threatening staff and forcing passengers off coaches at gunpoint or under threat of violence. In May, a taxi operator also threatened to shoot Intercape passengers.

Incidents of intimidation have also occurred at the Intercape offices and depot in Airport Industria. Two of these incidents happened in the Eastern Cape, including one where a perpetrator attempted to torch five coaches at Mthatha Station. Security personnel intervened to extinguish the fires.

Since the start of the year, there have also been 30 incidents of stone throwing at Intercape coaches. This resulted in injuries to ten staff members and two passengers. There have also been 19 shooting incidents.

Intercape says the majority of incidents have taken place in the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape and Gauteng.

The company notes that 126 cases have been opened with the South Africa Police Service (Saps) across South Africa.

These 126 Saps cases include 61 cases of intimidation directed at Intercape coaches; 14 of intimidation at Intercape offices/depot; 20 shooting incidents; and 31 vehicle stonings.

Evidence, including photographs and video footage, which in some cases clearly identify attackers, as well as the vehicles used in the attacks, have been handed over to Saps.

However, to date (August 5), there has not been a single arrest, laments Ferreira.

In response to these incidents, Intercape has initiated and attended various stakeholder engagements with Saps, representatives of taxi associations and bus operators; the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NATJOINTS); Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and the Eastern Cape government.

However, these engagements all failed to offer long-term or sustainable solutions.

Intercape has also addressed a series of letters to various MECs, President Cyril Ramaphosa,the Hawks, the Minister of Transport and NATJOINTS, all of which, to date, remain unanswered, notes the company.

Intercape has since launched a court application against the Eastern Cape government and Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, seeking an order that these parties have an obligation to put in place measures to ensure the safety of long-distance bus drivers and passengers in the Eastern Cape.

In the meantime, the company says it proposes a series of immediate steps which will assist in addressing the issue to some degree.

These include the installation of security cameras on the bridge near the Intercape depot in Cape Town; the investigation of incidents of violence and intimidation as crimes under the Prevention of Organised Crime Act; and arresting the perpetrators based on the available evidence.

“We are a private company operating legally with all the necessary permits, but we have been subjected to a concerted campaign of violence at the hands of rogue taxi associations who are intent on forcing coach operators out of certain regions and from key routes,” notes Ferreira.

“They are doing this at the end of a barrel of a gun and authorities have done nothing to stop these attacks. Instead, there have been attempts to intimidate and persuade us to be party to agreements around pricing structures and routes which amount to price-fixing. This is a serious criminal offence and Intercape refuses to participate in such acts.”

Ferreira says the campaign waged against the long-distance coach industry began in 2017, with threats and isolated incidents of intimidation.

In the last two years, the number and intensity of incidents have escalated dramatically, to the point where attackers now use automatic weapons.

“Intercape faces an incident of violence or intimidation nearly every other day,” notes Ferreira. “Today, it is the long-distance coach and construction industries. Who will it be tomorrow?”