Barbara Creecy calls Natjoints to intervene after 51 Putco buses burnt

Transport minister Barbara Creecy has labelled the burning of 51 Putco buses on Monday night as economic sabotage.

She said the bus industry played a critical role in the mobility of the workforce. Creecy and deputy minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa condemned the incident.

She has instructed her department to call an urgent meeting with the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (Natjoints) to discuss the incident and develop an integrated response. 

The department fears the arson will have a disastrous effect on commuters in Mpumalanga, who rely on the bus operator to commute to as far as Gauteng daily.

“It is of utmost importance that the law enforcement agencies take every possible course of action to investigate Monday’s incident and bring the perpetrators to book,” Creecy said.

Creecy and Hlengwa said the department would continue to support any efforts to prevent sabotage of the public transport system.

According to the department, Putco’s bus fleet plays a key role in transporting about 200,000 commuters daily, with its biggest operation in Mpumalanga.

Police have arrested two suspects aged 29 and 37 in connection with the torching of the buses in the Nkangala district.

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