The fatal shooting of two Rea Vaya bus drivers in Soweto on Monday night raises the lawlessness that has been allowed to weaken the country’s public transport system to new despicable heights. The killings come after the torching of scores of buses in Mpumalanga and North West by faceless criminals, seemingly intent on forcing bus services out of the public transport system.
Previously most prevalent in the Western Cape — with attacks on buses, the intimidation of bus operators and the destruction of the rail system — the criminality is, at its heart, aimed at compelling commuters to use taxis instead of other public transport. The violence now threatens to take root elsewhere in the country.
Most disturbing are rumours of collusion by police, politicians and public officials
In the past, the minibus taxi industry was lauded as an example of successful black entrepreneurship — one of the few economic sectors where entry barriers were low and jobs were created by the thousands.
Thanks to ineffectual regulation and enforcement, it has morphed into a Frankenstein monster. Seemingly untouchable, it is wreaking social havoc and posing a threat to normal economic activity.
Most affected are the passengers — mostly the poor and working class people — who are deprived of the right to choose the most cost-effective means of transport on pain of being physically attacked.
The violence and destruction should be a priority for the country’s law enforcement agencies. Most disturbing are rumours of collusion by police, politicians and public officials.
The government must abandon its long-standing indifference to the problem and the threat posed by the taxi industry. Otherwise President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state of the nation pledge to boost public transport will be worth nothing.
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