The Johannesburg Metropolitan Bus Service Company has offered a R50 000 reward for information that will help track down those responsible for the killings of and attacks on bus drivers, said its chairperson, Vincent Mntambo, on Sunday.
The city temporarily suspended Metrobus operations on Friday after the bodies of two Metrobus drivers were found burnt beyond recognition inside a gutted bus at the Aardville Cemetery in Kagiso on the West Rand on Friday morning.
Last month, another two metro bus drivers were shot while on duty. One of the men died after being shot while driving through the Johannesburg CBD, while another had to undergo an operation after being shot in the abdomen.
”Metrobus strongly condemns the violence and intimidation directed at our bus operators since the beginning of the strike action. These incidents are acts of criminality. Law-enforcement agencies are pursuing the matter and we trust that they will bring the perpetrators to book,” said Mntambo.
He urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stop on Tel 08600 10111.
The murders, which have sparked fears among other Metrobus drivers, are believed to be linked to an ongoing strike regarding a dispute over payment of unused sick leave, and the reinstatement of dismissed staffers.
Since the strike started early last month, Metrobus drivers who continued working have been intimidated, assaulted and hijacked. — Sapa