By Anita Dangazele
- Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa has written to President Ramaphosa asking him to intervene in an ongoing shutdown in eNgcobo, Eastern Cape.
- The shutdown, over a dispute involving long-distance bus operator Intercape and local taxi associations, has disrupted schools, businesses and transport in the town.
Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Bantu Holomisa has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking him to personally intervene in an ongoing shutdown in eNgcobo, Eastern Cape, that has brought schools, businesses and transport in the town to a standstill.
Holomisa met with taxi associations, business and civic leaders in eNgcobo on Monday, after being approached by the community to help find a way forward.
In his letter to Ramaphosa, dated the same day, he said the shutdown had gone on for an extended period, with learners unable to get to school, businesses unable to operate, and residents struggling to reach essential services.
The dispute centres on long-distance bus operations in the area, including the position of Intercape and local taxi operators, and the rules governing how long-distance buses may operate.
Intercape has repeatedly gone to court over the past year, accusing local taxi associations of blockades, intimidation and violence against its drivers and buses, and accusing police of failing to act despite court orders requiring them to protect its operations. In one incident in June, a passenger was seriously injured when rocks were thrown through a bus window as it entered the town.
Holomisa said the community feels its concerns have been repeatedly raised with government, including the Eastern Cape provincial government and the Minister of Transport, without a lasting solution. He said King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo of the AbaThembu Kingdom has also written to the Minister of Transport about the matter.
He is asking Ramaphosa to dispatch the Minister of Transport and relevant officials to bring all parties together, including national and provincial transport departments, local taxi associations, Intercape, community and civic organisations, traditional leadership, and police, to agree on a time-bound plan to resolve the dispute.
Holomisa stressed he was not seeking to interfere with any court proceedings or take sides, but said the shutdown’s impact on the wider community required urgent, coordinated government action.
Pictured above: Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Bantu Holomisa.
Image source: Bantu Holomisa/Facebook
