Rea Vaya bus operations to resume on Wednesday

Rea Vaya bus operations to resume on Wednesday

Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene has confirmed that the city’s Rea Vaya buses will be back on the road on Wednesday morning.

Rea vaya bus
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Bus services were suspended on Tuesday morning after two bus drivers were shot and killed in Soweto on Monday night.


Speaking to SABC News, Kunene said the Johannesburg metro police have drawn up a plan to ensure drivers’ safety. 


"JMPD has committed that they are putting together a plan today (Tuesday) so that they can be able to then escort the buses and go to strategic BRT stations. But this is a declaration of war against the residents of Soweto, against the government of local unity, and against provincial and national government.


"This is a serious declaration of war, and we must respond in the same way as government to what has happened here."


Kunene has described the Soweto Rea Vaya bus incident as an orchestrated hit.


The incidents took place in Wildchestnut Street in Protea Glen and Mapetla in Soweto.


"This was an assassination here next to Mapetla Secondary School where the first hit happened at half past eight, and when you look at the distance between here and the second area where the second shooting happened, which is next to Curo College in Protea, it takes about nine minutes.


"They hit here at half past eight, and I think it was about eight bullets that were shot. The driver was shot whilst he was driving and when the bus got stuck, they came to finish him.


"When the paramedics arrived, he was still alive, but he died on the way. And when you look at Protea, 17 bullets were shot, so there's a clear assassination."


He, however, refused to comment on reports that four people have been arrested in connection with the attacks. 


"We will allow the South African police services to do their investigation. We understand that four people have been arrested who were in the vicinity of the shooting who are Lesotho nationals. The police are not yet sure if they are the culprits, but they're investigating.


"I understand that they found an unlicensed firearm in their possession, so they are investigating, but as the City of Johannesburg, as the government of local unity, we are hoping that the law will take its course. Nobody must fight the system, this is a government programme to assist the residents of Johannesburg.


"We don't want to speculate that it is the taxi industry that has committed this heinous crime. We don't want to speculate that, and we don't want to also speculate that it might be the feeder buses that could have been the issue."


Kunene accused the culprits of attempting to intimidate the residents of Soweto.


"Today (Tuesday), the buses are not on the roads because we understood that the drivers would be traumatised and afraid. We don't want to put the lives of the commuters at risk, with drivers who are still in trauma, who might not be able to drive properly."


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