Two Golden Arrow buses were torched at the Blackheath depot in Cape Town on Thursday, July 15. As reported by SABC News, Metro police spokesperson Ruth Solomons said that after investigation, officers “found no signs of protesters or suspicious activity in and around the facility.”
Since then, the Golden Arrow Bus Service (GABS) raised concerns regarding the resurgence in bus attacks after a bus driver was robbed at gunpoint along Govan Mbeki Drive near Philippi merely a day after the Blackheath depot incident.
In the same vein, on Sunday, July 18 suspects targeted two buses in Nyanga and Gugulethu after opening fire, and according to EWN, no arrests have been made yet.
Unfortunately, this is not a new occurrence as Golden Arrow buses were set alight in May this year while 22 other buses were stoned and drivers were also intimidated in Nyanga.
IOL adds that just last month in June, authorities confirmed that 75 buses were damaged in a single week in the same area.
Bus company’s Bronwen Dyke-Beyer responded to the latest incident by saying: “No injuries were reported. All incidents were reported to SAPS and Metro Police have also increased the presence in the area.”
This comes after two weeks of calm, she said.
“It’s only in the last week that we’ve seen a resurgence. Golden Arrow must be able to operate safely and we call on government to ensure that this is possible,” Dyke-Beyer added.
These events come at a time when commuters are extremely reliant on bus services following the surge of violence in the Cape Town taxi industry.
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Picture: Supplied