ANOTHER Intercape bus SHOOTING in Cape Town [WATCH]

Another Intercape bus shooting took place in Cape Town on Wednesday, making this the third shooting targeting the bus company this week.

TWO INTERCAPE BUSES SHOT AT ON WEDNESDAY

Two Intercape buses were targeted and shot at in attacks in Cape Town around 20:00.

In the first shooting, the driver was shot at on the N2 highway near Nyanga. He was shot and wounded in the stomach and leg, causing him to lose control of the bus. The bus then rolled down an embankment.

According to Intercape, the driver was attended to at the scene before being rushed to hospital.

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The second bus was driving a short distance just behind the first attacked bus. The driver was also shot by the same armed men but was fortunately unharmed, said Western Cape Minister of Mobility Daylin Mitchell.

Mitchell expressed sadness and anger at yet another shooting incident, which seemed to be targeting the long-distance bus company.

“This is the third incident in this week alone in which drivers of the company’s buses have been shot at in cold blood by thugs whose sole aim is to intimidate and harass the employees and owners of the company.”

Daylin Mitchell

News24 reports that the first bus had no passengers during the attack but was en route to Cape Town station to load passengers.

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SPATE OF ATTACKS DUE TO POSSIBLE EXTORTION

Mitchell said the attacks took place just before a scheduled meeting on Friday by the Standing Committee of Public Works in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. The meeting is to address the recent spate of extortion and of attacks of buses, including the local Golden Arrows bus.

“I have taken steps to ensure that the matter is brought to the attention of relevant authorities in the security and enforcement environment for the urgent coordination of investigations and interventions after this spike in attacks on buses on routes between the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape and Gauteng,” Mitchell said.

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What is of concern is the silence by Police Minister Bheki Cele. Cele was tasked by President Ramaphosa in June already to coordinate an urgent national intervention to address the increasing trend of extortion and racketeering which impacts the public transport sector.

“The growing number of incidents point to a dismal failure of crime intelligence, investigation and enforcement. The citizens of the Western Cape and all road users deserve to be protected from the heartless criminals who are threatening the lives of public transport users and operators.”