The City of Cape Town has condemned the recent spate of attacks on its MyCiTi buses following stoning incidents along the N2 Express routes.

Eight MyCiTi buses were attacked in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain recently and the City believes these are related to its efforts to assist rail commuters who were left stranded due to the service disruptions on the Metrorail Central Line.

City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron says the sabotage of public transport services in the Metro South-east has reached unprecedented levels.

Supporting stranded commuters

“We have been deploying additional MyCiTi buses on the N2 Express routes between Cape Town and Khayelitsha since December last year to assist rail commuters who are stranded due to the service disruptions on the Metrorail Central Line,” Herron explains.

He adds: “As far as I am concerned, criminals are hell-bent on bringing public transport in the Metro South-east to a complete halt. They are now targeting the MyCiTi service because many rail commuters are relying on our buses to get to work and school.”

According to Herron, nine windows and one windscreen were smashed during the attacks and apart from the cost to replace the windows; the buses will be out of service for at least three to four days while the repairs are being done.

Calling on the community

“I deplore these senseless attacks. We cannot allow criminal elements to bring public transport on the Cape Flats to a halt. I urge the South African Police Service to investigate these incidents as a matter of urgency. Those responsible must be arrested and prosecuted. I am also appealing to our residents to please report suspicious activities so that we can protect our public transport assets,” concludes Herron.

In the meantime, all enforcement agencies are assisting with the monitoring of public transport routes, and MyCiTi buses are being deviated from potential hotspots as far as possible.