Intercape
Bus company, Intercape is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint a “competent person” to the critical Transport portfolio who is able to bring order, stability, and accountability to the sector.
That’s the word from Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira, after the Makhanda High Court dismissed an application by outgoing Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, against aspects of an earlier judgment that compelled him and the EC Transport MEC to develop a plan to protect long-distance bus drivers and passengers.
Mbalula’s ministerial position has become vacant after he was elected ANC secretary-general, with President Ramaphosa expected to announce his successor.
In a statement, Ferreira said Intercape has already opened 137 cases in the Eastern Cape following attacks on the company’s buses. Several towns have been declared no-go areas for Intercape, which he said they were now looking at reopening.
These include the Eastern Cape towns of Cofimvaba, Butterworth, Engcobo, Tshomo, and Dutywa.
Following Tuesday’s judgment by a full bench of the high court, Ferreira called on President Ramaphosa to appoint a Minister “who will bring order and stability back to the transport sector.”
“That is all we needed Minister Mbalula to do, but that was clearly beyond him,” Ferreira said.
He said the Minister’s conduct in dealing with the “crisis facing the long-distance coach industry in South Africa was again brought into serious question.”
In his judgment, Judge John Smith said that the “Minister’s resistance to cooperation with the provincial authorities is rather surprising, particularly having regard to the fact that our constitutional dispensation is founded upon the principle of cooperative governance.”
In dismissing Mbalula’s appeal, Judge Smith said he believed that there was no reasonable prospect of success.
Ferreira said the court judgment is the latest development in a long battle by them to force authorities to address a campaign of terror directed at the company and its operations.
He said Intercape would soon be restarting operations in five Eastern Cape towns which had become “no-go zones” after local taxi associations had prevented long-distance coaches from stopping and operating on their turf.
“There is a plan of action on the table which has been prepared by the MEC for Transport in collaboration with the police and the Minister of Transport, which indicates that we can begin operating from these towns again.”
Ferreira said Intercape accepted the plan of action in its current form “as a bare minimum”.
