Bus operations have resumed in Ntambanana in Kwa-Zulu Natal after a successful meeting between the community and the Department of Transport over the public transport impasse.

Residents of Ntambanana have been without a reliable form of public transport after the Department was forced to suspend the bus services for two weeks following illegal strike action by the bus drivers.

The situation escalated when commuters from the three main communities affected by the strike action rejected the bus operator and opted to boycott the bus services. According to the department this resulted in havoc as buses are the only mode of transport in the area, with the boycott affecting the socio-economic order of the community.

Foul play suspected

School children were hardest hit by the disruption as they could not be transported to school.  According to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Transport strong allegations emerged that some community leaders were behind the boycott of the operator, because they now had a preferred operator.

“It is very unfortunate that the community has to suffer for weeks without transportation. We had to intervene because as government we are constitutionally obliged to provide a safe, reliable, accessible and affordable public transport, especially to underdeveloped communities,” says Mxolisi Kaunda, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison.

“After engaging with Amakhosi and members of the broader community, we have agreed that bus operations will resume.  We have taken this decision with a conviction that no further disruptions will happen and the police have already developed a clear security plan to avert any eventuality,” Kaunda concludes.