MyCiTi commuters to bear brunt of attacks on bus stations
12 February 2018
Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has condemned what it termed "orchestrated attacks" by protesters on two MyCiTi bus stations.
Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, said the attacks on the MyCiTi bus stations would cause major inconveniences to commuters.
"Thousands of commuters from Dunoon will be inconvenienced for months after protesters nearly destroyed the MyCiTi stations at Usasaza and Dunoon in the early hours of [Sunday] morning," Herron said.
Most popular and busy routes
He said the stations serve two of the most popular and busy MyCiTi routes to the Cape Town central business district and the Century City precinct.
"The damage caused by bricks, stones, and burning tyres will be assessed in the coming weeks, safe to say that it will be in excess of a million rand to repair the smashed doors, window panes, and other critical infrastructure before the stations will be operational again," he said.
"The motive for the attacks is unknown. That said, it is unacceptable that protesters demonstrate their anger and frustration by destroying costly city infrastructure."
Temporary bus stops
Herron advised commuters to make use of temporary bus stops or make use of other bus stops across the city.
"I am deeply worried and distressed by the impact of the lawlessness and relentless attacks on scheduled public transport services such as the MyCiTi Service, the Golden Arrow Bus Service (GABS), and Metrorail. The cost to our economy is immense in a time of drought where every cent must be saved and rechannelled to assist with water security. We cannot tolerate this anarchy indefinitely," he said.
"I deplore these senseless attacks and criminality. I am pleading with the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to urgently look into these incidents and to do whatever is needed to arrest and prosecute those responsible."
