The company that needs police escorts to protect it from criminal mafias in South Africa

Long-haul bus operator Intercape has been under siege by criminal elements for years, with the group tied up in litigation with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to do something about it.

The group has been appealing for action from the government after recording hundreds of incidents where its drivers and operations were attacked and threatened, mainly in the Western and Eastern Cape.

However, these appeals and legal efforts have amounted to nothing, it said, with no decisive action being taken by police in over three years.

Presenting to the Portfolio Committee on Police on Wednesday (14 May), the group told lawmakers of how investigations have been seemingly stonewalled by the SAPS while its operations remain under attack.

This is despite multiple court victories against the police and related government departments compelling them to act.

According to the group, the SAPS has tried to justify the inaction by blaming Intercape for not filling in the correct forms.

Intercape says it is a victim of ‘mafia-style’ criminals, with the attacks on its operators and operations showing distinct patterns of organised crime.

It told the committee that it had done most of the work and investigations necessary for the police to take action, including submitting photographic and video evidence of the perpetrators and methods of attack.

Despite these efforts, nothing has been done, and communication has been practically non-existent.

“We have won eight court cases so far, and at the moment, the minister of police, the minister of transport, the Hawks, the investigative directorate – everyone we have cited is in contempt of court,” said Intercape CEO Johann Ferreira.

He said the courts ordered the police to protect South African travellers and to keep Intercape informed of the immediate and long-term plans to prevent attacks.

The group has recorded one death, 32 instances of attempted murder by shooting, 46 incidents involving stoning, and 103 cases of threats and intimidation, with a further 15 cases at Intercape’s offices.

To its knowledge, no arrests had been made.

“We are faced with an impossible situation, where the government is in contempt of court as far as the safety and security of the travelling public of South Africa is concerned.”

Intercape said it now intends to launch further contempt of court proceedings against the state.

The SAPS says it’s working on it

Responding with its own presentation to the committee, the SAPS gave an update on the situation, noting that it has been doing some work – including the arrest of 11 people connected to the attacks.

Intercape said this was the first time it had been made aware of any arrests.

What started out as stone throwing and isolated attacks back in 2016 has now escalated to an all-out war against the company, leading to death and injury for drivers and passengers.

Following the death of one of its bus drivers in an attack in 2022, the National Council of Provinces called on the national government to establish a high-level task team to deal with the matter.

This was the year that Intercape was also granted a court order directing authorities to develop a comprehensive plan to provide for the safety and security of long haul operators.

In 2023, Intercape secured a contempt order against the national and Eastern Cape provincial SAPS commissioners for the lack of action in this regard.

A second order granted in 2023 directed the authorities to maintain a visible police presence in hotspot areas, and to provide police escorts along certain routes when requested to do so by Intercape.

An instruction was issued in 2024 in all provinces to coordinate with all long haul bus operators moving across all provinces to address the crime and violence.

However, the SAPS said that the rendering of escorting duties by the SAPS has placed a substantial burden on its resources, especially in view of other policing priorities.

“The SAPS is committed to reaching an amicable solution to the ongoing litigation, taking into account its limited resources, its constitutional mandate and the burden placed on the SAPS to provide escorts and visible policing within the determined hotspot areas,” it said.

Despite the SAPS being required to provide the escorts, Intercape noted that it has had to spend about R3 million to cover the cost of private security escorts.

It has also had to incur costs for covering passenger medical fees and repairing its vehicles, while losing out on over R30 million in lost revenue from suspending operations in certain towns.

The SAPS’s case data is also a mismatch with Intercape’s. While the latter has recorded over 200 incidents, the SAPS only has 76 on book.

Of the 76 cases, 18 were withdrawn and 33 were finalised as undetected. 22 cases are pending investigation, with 3 others in court processes.

The police service also talked up its “engagement” with long haul bus operators on the matter, including establising platforms for regular meetings and discussions.

It added that these engagements have allowed it to dispatch resources effectively and issue warnings of potential threats, while getting directly involved where required.

“The communication platforms have also facilitated the sharing of information to ensure that bus operators take steps to promote the safety and protection of their employees and passengers,” it said.