Tshwane recovers buses
31 July 2019
The City of Tshwane has, as off yesterday, recovered municipal buses that were taken by drivers without authorisation on Monday, 29 July 2019, as part of their protest.
At least 40 buses were returned to the municipal bus depot east of the City just before midnight. This came after the buses were removed from the depot by drivers and used to blockade streets, which caused turmoil when traffic came to a standstill.
The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Roads and Transport, Cllr Sheila Senkubuge, indicated that they managed to take back the buses after two days of unrest that saw drivers blockading major routes in the CBD.
Cllr Senkubuge said, “With the assistance of law enforcement officials, including the SA Police Service, the Tshwane Metro Police and their counterparts in Johannesburg – the JMPD – and the taxi industry in the greater Tshwane region, we were able to get the buses off the streets and back to the depot. This is state property that was never supposed to have been removed from the depot without permission. We have since registered a case with the police because the buses were taken without authorisation on Monday morning.”
“The Constitution of the Republic guarantees the right to protest and freedom of expression. However, we have to condemn in the strongest terms possible the chaos that erupted in the capital over the past two days in the name of protest. Law enforcement authorities are pursuing the matter with a view to bring the perpetrators of this unrest to book,” added Cllr Senkubuge.
The MMC apologised profusely to the residents of Tshwane and all those who were affected by the illegal protests. She said that they are working to ensure that this never happens again, regardless of the circumstances.
Negotiations with labour unions regarding the ongoing wage increase demands are expected to resume today at the National Bargaining Council in Centurion.
“We are confident that we will reach a solution with the unions. This would be in the best interest of the City, the employees and residents who have been greatly inconvenienced by the illegal protests. We call for calm and restraint, and for all parties to give the negotiations a chance to proceed,” concluded Senkubuge.
Bus operations will remain suspended until the impasse has been resolved in order to avoid the unfortunate incidents of the past two days. The City would like to thank everyone affected by the current developments for their patience.
Enquiries
MMC for Roads and Transport, Cllr Sheila Senkubuge
073 433 8562
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