Another long distance bus driver has been shot.
In the latest attacks on Wednesday evening, the Intercape driver was hit on Jakes Gerwel Drive as he was joining the N2 inbound near Langa.
The driver lost control, went through the barrier and slid down a steep embankment.
This was the third such incident in one week.
The company confirmed that two of its buses were attacked on the same day, incidents which they blame on rogue taxi groups.
“Two Intercape coaches came under attack in Cape Town on Wednesday evening within moments of each other,” they said.
“In the first incident, an Intercape driver was shot in the stomach and leg. He saw a parked police vehicle and took the off-ramp but was unable to keep the vehicle on the road. The driver was attended to on the scene before being rushed to hospital.
“There were no passengers on board at the time of the attack. The coach was en route to Cape Town station to load passengers.”
Intercape says a while later, a second coach came under fire in the same area but no one was hurt.
Wednesday’s attacks come days after an Intercape driver was shot outside the company’s depot on 31 July. The driver is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
In April, 35-year-old driver Bangikhaya Machana died in hospital days after being shot.
“In the space of just 13 months, there have been over 150 recorded violent incidents and 124 criminal cases have been opened, Intercape added.
“The attacks are as a result of a violent campaign waged against the industry by rogue taxi associations who seek to force long-distance coach companies out of operating in certain regions and routes across South Africa.”
Provincial Transport Minister Daylin Mitchell says the incidents come two days before the Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works in the Provincial Parliament.
“The recent spate of extortion and of attacks on buses, including Golden Arrow buses, as well as coaches serving long distance routes, will be discussed.
“I have taken steps to ensure that the matter is brought to the attention of authorities in the security and enforcement environment after this spike in attacks on buses.”
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