Intercape is suing Police Minister Bheki Cele for what it terms the “complete and utter failure” of the police to stop attacks against the long-distance bus service operator.

The company has continued to run a gauntlet of attacks in recent weeks, with at least 14 recorded incidents in the Eastern Cape as Intercape coaches travel through the province.

Coaches have been shot at and stoned, while drivers and passengers have been intimidated by taxi operators in what Intercape alleges amounts to “a campaign of organised crime” that is “part of a pattern of racketeering activity”.

Intercape opened its first case with the police on March 4, 2020.

Ever since, Intercape has opened a further 164 criminal cases and, three years later, “not a single suspect is under arrest and not a single [court case] is under way”.

Intercape says under the failed leadership of Cele, as well as President Cyril Ramaphosa who appointed him, parts of South Africa have been turned into a mafia state where taxi operators rule with impunity.

“The fish rots from the head and we have a police service which has done absolutely nothing to uphold public safety and ensure the arrest of perpetrators,” says Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira.

“We hold Minister Cele responsible for every failure of the police under his watch, and we will not stop until there is full accountability to the travelling public in South Africa.”

Intercape has listed Cele as first respondent, followed by national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola.

The company also cites the provincial commissioners of the Eastern Cape, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the North West, along with the head of the Hawks, the National Director of Public Prosecutions, and the head of the Investigating Directorate.

The attacks against Intercape, particularly in the Eastern Cape, have continued, despite several court orders compelling the Transport Minister and her provincial counterpart to work with the police to ensure the safety of passengers and Intercape employees.

Intercape says it is asking for an urgent order declaring that the South African Police Service and the Hawks have failed to properly investigate and prevent the crimes being perpetrated against the company.

Among others, the company asks that the court orders that a report be submitted to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) within 60 days, detailing all the steps taken and progress made in investigating each of the cases opened, as well as the status of each investigation, to enable the NPA to coordinate the investigation and prosecution of the crimes.

The company also asks that senior police report to the national head of the Hawks those cases that reveal the presence of organised crime which requires national prevention or investigation, and that the Hawks report the steps that have been taken to effectively investigate these offences.