Bus driver’s arrest deepens Intercape and taxi violence row

On 19 June 2025, Eastern Cape traffic officers arrested an Intercape bus driver in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, after he refused to hand over his vehicle, still full of passengers, to be driven to an impound lot.

The traffic officers had issued a R2,500 fine because the bus offloaded passengers in the street outside the town’s Total Garage rather than inside the premises – a minor infraction, but one that Intercape says had been approved by local traffic officials due to the spate of intimidation and attacks by taxi operators.

Despite this, officers refused to release the bus until the fine was paid. 

They instructed the driver to hand over the keys so they could drive the bus to the pound with passengers on board. When he refused, citing passenger safety, he was arrested. The bus was released only after the fine was paid hours later, while the driver was granted bail and warned to appear in court on 3 July.

Incidents like this, of traffic officials behaving badly, “should not be construed in isolation”, Intercape says. 

“[T]hey should be viewed against the history of the Eastern Cape SAPS and Department of Transport’s previous efforts to advance the interests of minibus taxi owners and representatives,” the company wrote in a 25 June letter to the State Attorney, MEC for Transport, senior SAPS officials and the provincial traffic department.

“The arrest of Intercape’s driver should also be viewed in stark contrast to the SAPS’ failure to take any steps over the past three years to arrest taxi operators committing crimes, including the intimidation and harassment of Intercape’s staff and passengers, in the presence of the police,” it added.

Despite being ordered by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court on 6 February 2024 to treat the ongoing attacks on Intercape buses, allegedly orchestrated by rogue taxi associations, as organised crime, and despite a ruling that police had failed to properly investigate these attacks, Intercape says very little effective policing has happened.

Read more: Court orders SAPS to investigate ‘organised crime’ attacks on Intercape buses

Far from an isolated incident

Just days earlier, taxi operators allegedly blocked Intercape buses in Ngcobo, intimidated staff and prevented passengers from boarding.

Dashboard footage was allegedly made available to police, showing the registration plates of one of the taxis. No arrests were made. 

Court orders since June 2023 have required SAPS to provide escorts for Intercape buses at hotspots. 

Escorts improved after the SAPS national commissioner and Eastern Cape provincial commissioner were found in contempt of court in December 2023. But Intercape says intimidation and harassment continue, often in full view of police.

The next day, with no police present, taxi operators again blocked a bus in Ngcobo. 

Later, when the SAPS became involved, they did not detain the perpetrators. Instead, station commander Colonel Msongelwa reportedly told Intercape that the taxi association had stopped the buses because they suspected Intercape was transporting passengers without tickets.

“The allegation that Intercape would load passengers without tickets is not only false but also irrelevant. It can in any event not be a justification for the criminal acts perpetrated against Intercape and its passengers. This was explained to Colonel Msongelwa,” Intercape says. 

The company maintains that the campaign against it is organised crime, a view upheld by the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court. 

At its centre is Eastern Cape taxi boss Bonke Makalala, previously named in court papers as a key orchestrator of attacks, as previously reported by amaBhungane. He faces multiple charges in the Western Cape, including murder and impersonating a police officer – but these are unrelated to his alleged role in strong-arming bus operators.

Intercape says it has submitted extensive evidence, including names, photographs, videos, WhatsApp messages, bank account details and voice recordings, yet there has seemingly been little progress in the investigation.

SAPS told Parliament a different story

In May, the SAPS told Parliament’s police committee a different story. Deputy National Commissioner Tebello Mosikili outlined intelligence-driven operations and WhatsApp threat alert groups with bus companies, adding that the police were “continuing to monitor on a weekly basis and provide escorts as per the court order”.

According to Mosikili, the SAPS opened 76 cases related to bus attacks and intimidation between 2021 and 2024: 14 had been withdrawn, 22 were under investigation, 33 were closed as “undetected”, and four were before court. 

“The South African Police Service will remain committed to ensure visibility within the hotspots,” Mosikili told MPs.

Intercape, however, says it has opened about 200 cases. 

More disquieting, Intercape has repeatedly argued that the police had been attempting to investigate, and the NPA to prosecute, its complaints as individual stone-throwing cases rather than as an organised crime directed against Intercape by members of the taxi industry, for which there is both legislation and evidence. 

Read more: Intercape bus attacks not investigated because ‘the wrong forms were filled in’

According to Intercape’s court papers, the violence has ranged from brazen extortion attempts to deadly attacks.

CEO Johann Ferreira described a March 2022 meeting in East London where taxi association leaders told bus operators that the only way to stop the violence was to agree to inflate ticket prices, limit services and avoid certain Eastern Cape towns. He said he handed photographs, recordings and other evidence of the meeting to the police, but nothing came of it. 

A month later, an Intercape driver, Bangikhaya Machana, was gunned down while leaving the company’s Cape Town depot, dying from his injuries four days later. In another incident, members of the Cape Organisation for the Democratic Taxi Association (Codeta) stormed Intercape’s Cape Town station office, threatening passengers and blocking buses from leaving. Although police were present and logged the incident, Ferreira said no arrests had been made, even when officers repeated the taxi operators’ claim that Intercape had agreed to restrict its services – an agreement he flatly denied.

Despite this, the National Prosecuting Authority in the Eastern Cape told amaBhungane it had no cases before court, insisting “no accused persons have been identified by the complainants”.

Intercape disputes this, saying it has already identified three alleged orchestrators: Bonke Makalala and two accomplices known only as “Siya” and “Hamilton”, and handed their details to SAPS along with video and registration evidence.

“The duty to investigate, identify suspects and build cases rests squarely with SAPS and the NPA, not the victims,” the company said.

We raised this discrepancy with the SAPS Eastern Cape, but in response to questions and follow-up questions, the SAPS provided us with a single, stock response: “The matter is still pending at court. As such, the SAPS is unable to comment on the matter.” 

Questions sent to National Commissioner Fanie Masemola went unanswered.

On 19 May 2025, SAPS failed to pitch for a meeting with Intercape, the Hawks and the NPA to discuss the company’s evidence. No explanation was provided for the absence. 

AmaBhungane also sent the SAPS questions about its non-attendance, but has received no response.

Meanwhile, the parliamentary committee on police says it was neither told about SAPS’ absence from the May meeting nor about the Ngcobo incidents. 

Chair Ian Cameron confirmed Parliament was still waiting for SAPS to table a comprehensive report: “The committee awaits the submission of the required report, which will enable it to fulfil its oversight role effectively.”

Attacks ongoing

Since June, there have been three more intimidation incidents: one in Qumbu and two in Ngcobo.

Intercape says that, on 7 August, it received what was purported to be a confidential SAPS report that was sent to NPA boss Shamila Batohi and the Investigating Directorate, signed by acting Divisional Commissioner for Detective and Forensic Services Major General Mogale and accompanied by an affidavit from the national commissioner.

Intercape did not disclose the contents of the report.

“Absent an effective action plan or other coordinated strategy to anticipate and address the incidents of violence swiftly, the threat of disruption to Intercape’s operations in the Eastern Cape will persist,” the company told amaBhungane. 

“Experience over the past five years shows repeated cycles of relative calm, followed by sudden spikes in both frequency and severity of attacks. There is currently no plan in place to anticipate and neutralise these spikes as they arise.

“It should be borne in mind that some of the crimes were reported to the SAPS as far back as 2021. The odds of the SAPS finding evidence implicating those involved now, more than four years later, are slim,” Intercape said. DM