Long-distance bus operator Intercape, which is under siege from rogue taxi associations in parts of the Eastern Cape, is spending R3m on security each month to ferry passengers safely to their destinations.
CEO Johann Ferreira said despite obtaining a court order forcing the police to protect his company’s fleet, drivers and passengers, flare-ups of violence in the affected towns had forced it to hire extra security to keep operating.
“They [private security] come on board immediately if there’s a threat or anything that is out of the ordinary. Basically, they’ve taken over the job of the police. It’s a costly exercise as we have to have security teams on standby 24/7. Depending on the severity of each incident, we sometimes have five teams attending one incident, costing us a lot of money, but we’ve had to do it to ensure the safety of our passengers.”
“In hotspot towns such as Dutywa, we’ve had stones thrown at our buses. We’ve had incidents of intimidation where they [criminal elements] block the bus stops so that we can’t offload or load passengers, and our buses have to travel to the next town for passengers to disembark … which causes a lot of inconvenience.”
Intercape has opened 176 cases in the past three years alone, saying taxi operators were trying to bar the bus company from some long-distance routes in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape. It has spent R50m fixing damage to buses and R10m in legal fees.
Ferreira has previously said rogue taxi associations were demanding that Intercape increase its ticket prices, limit the number of buses on particular routes, amend its timetables to ensure that all buses depart Eastern Cape towns before noon daily and cease operations in certain towns, thereby enabling taxi operators to monopolise those areas.
Its employees and passengers have been injured as a result of the violence.
They [private security] come on board immediately if there’s a threat or anything that is out of the ordinary. Basically, they’ve taken over the job of the police
— Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira
However, the bus operator — which transports 1.2-million people each year — is determined to meet its festive season operational demands and safely transport 360,000 passengers in December.
“We are ready for the peak time … as ready as we can be. We have coaches on standby in the various depots. We’ve made sure there’s extra windows, spare parts and relief drivers. Our responsibility is to see that our buses continue and complete their journey uninterrupted.
“We have done everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of passengers,” said Ferreira.
On Tuesday the high court in Makhanda found national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and Eastern Cape police commissioner Nomthetheleli Mene in contempt of court for failing to implement a plan to protect long-haul buses in the Eastern Cape.
Judge Motilal Sunil Rugunanan ordered that the police take immediate steps to implement a plan to “provide for the safety and security of long-distance bus drivers and passengers in the Eastern Cape”.
Rugunanan also ordered the police to resume bus escorts and provide visible policing along bus routes and at bus stops, as well as file an affidavit in 30 days reporting on steps taken to comply with the order.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said: “The SAPS will comment on the matter once our legal team has perused the judgment.”
In court papers, the bus operator said it had only “received sporadic visible law enforcement and escort services from the SAPS”, and “no support at all along the R409/N2 route between Queenstown and Mthatha despite its motivated requests”.
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