Staff Reporter.
Western Cape authorities have welcomed the arrest of a man facing charges of murder and attempted murder related to the killing of an Intercape bus driver.
Police arrested the 28-year-old man in the Cape Winelands on Saturday.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Novela Potelwa said the suspect was arrested in Klapmuts in the Cape Winelands during a tracing operation.
He faces murder and attempted murder charges relating to the two attacks on Intercape busses, respectively, in March and April this year in Cape Town.
In April 2022, an Intercape bus driver, 35-year-old Bangikhaya Machana was shot and killed, while shots were fired at another Intercape bus a month earlier.
The suspect is set to appear in the Bishop Lavis Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Intercape appeared before the standing committee on transport in the Western Cape legislature recently.
Mobility MEC Daylin Mitchell says traffic officials will continue to monitor bus operations and be on the lookout for any ‘patrol vehicles’ that illegally stop and extort buses.
“In a recent standing committee meeting, I made the point that these recent brazen and targeted attacks on long-distance buses are criminal and that the hitmen, as well as their paymasters, must be brought to justice.”
Meanwhile, community safety and police oversight MEC Reagen Allen has commended the police for the arrest:
“The SAPS investigative unit has done a sterling job, in tracing and apprehending the suspect. It’s important now that this person comes clean with all information to assist SAPS as they investigate this matter further. It’s vital that all those that are involved in these attacks are arrested, and convicted.”