Police Minister Bheki Cele has promised to meet with long-distance bus drivers amid reports of increasing violence within the industry.
During a media briefing in Athlone on Monday, Cele indicated that plans to meet with bus companies and those in the taxi industry are currently on the cards.
Intercape recently voiced its concern around the increasing violence its bus drivers have had to face since 2019. According to officials, the trend has been a frequent occurrence in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape but has now spread to other provinces which has now made it a national problem, reports EWN.
Cele stated that police were considering boosting the number of police officers on highways.
“It’s impossible for us to patrol all the roads, but what we want to do is patrol the routes these bus companies drive on because that is very important, especially for the passengers,” he said.
During a media briefing last week, Intercape stated that there had been more than 80 attacks in 2022, including 19 shootings and 29 incidents of rocks being thrown. This is a dip from the 150 attacks experienced in 2021, as per News24.
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