A municipal bus was stoned in Reservoir Hills by men who pulled up alongside it, jumped out and attacked.
|||Durban - A municipal bus was stoned in Reservoir Hills on Wednesday by men who pulled up alongside it, jumped out and attacked.
At least 12 passengers were treated for injuries, the Ward 23 Community WhatsApp chat group reported.
Witnesses said the front window of the bus was shattered.
The attack, which police and paramedics were still attending to, at the time Daily News went to print, is believed to be linked to the ongoing taxi strike.
There is still no end in sight to the strike which started on Monday after the impounding of about 300 taxis by metro police in Durban.
On Tuesday, taxi operators from different associations held a meeting at a Durban church to discuss the way forward.
It ended in a stalemate, with operators vowing to continue with the strike.
Central to their grievance is the impounding of taxis for having invalid or no operating permits. This clampdown by the authorities came after the killing of three people at the Brook Street taxi rank in Durban a week ago.
Gerald Ferror, president of the KZN Taxi Alliance, said: “There will be no taxis for commuters. From the business point of view, the political meddling in the transport industry has a negative impact. In a few days, people (commuters) will get frustrated with not earning a living when they have to pay installments, wages and permits. This, if not contained immediately, will get out of control.”
Ferror said it was suspicious that the metro impounded taxis immediately after the shooting.
“Rest assured, if this strike is prolonged, people will start thinking irrationally. Remember it’s the long-distance operators who were implicated in the shooting, so why target local taxis? The authorities must tread carefully,” he said.
Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC, Willies Mchunu, was criticised for a statement he released on Tuesday praising “law enforcement agencies” for being “on top of the situation”, and ready to deal with attempts by “rogue” elements in the taxi industry to destabilise the province.
The statement cited the “illegal strike” by taxi owners as a further attempt to destabilise the industry.
“Police are on top of the situation and we believe that they (police) have been excellent. The co-operation between metro police, the Transport Department, SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority is yielding positive results. We are doing all we can to ensure law and order is preserved. Anybody who violates the law will be dealt with accordingly,” Mchunu said.
He said allegations by taxi operators that his department had not been issuing permits was a “lame excuse” to distract his department from dealing with the real issues.
In May, taxi drivers turned violent when their taxis were impounded by the eThekwini Metro Police for invalid or no permits.
Bafana Mhlongo, secretary of the KZN Taxi Alliance, lashed out at Mchunu for his statement.
The municipality issued a statement today saying: “The municipality condemns any form of violence associated with the suspension of transport operations. We advise commuters to be cautious.”
Daily News
