The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is the latest to condemn the killing of two Rea Vaya bus service drivers in Soweto on Monday night.
Both drivers were shot while on duty in two separate incidents in Protea Glen and Mapetla, in Soweto.
NUMSA National spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the latest incidents are shocking and warrant a thorough investigation.
“NUMSA sends its deepest condolences to the families of Sam Slinder and Rhendane Tshilande whose lives were cut short by merciless criminals.
It cannot be that workers are killed simply for doing their job.
We demand that both PioTrans and Litsamaiso, which are the companies with the operating licence to run Rea Vaya, as well as the MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene and the City of Joburg to urgently take steps to guarantee the safety of workers,” said Hlubi-Majola
Moreover, she called on the police to prioritize the cases and ensure that those behind the killings are apprehended.
NUMSA has also implored on the City of Joburg to act decisively to ensure that workers are protected, and that any benefits which are due to them, are to be paid.
“Our members are concerned that there will be no death benefits paid to the families of these workers, following this shocking murder.
PioTrans is currently under business rescue and because of this the payment of all benefits has been suspended.
Part of the problem is that the management was deducting money for provident fund, but was not paying it over to the service provider,” warned Hlubi-Majola
She highlighted that it is unjust, for the company to expect the workers to continue to offer a service, and yet their benefits are being withheld from them, adding that “the buses are insured but the lives of workers are not and this is unforgivable.”
Hlubi-Majola says they have noted a disturbing trend of attacks on buses and drivers in the recent past.
“Nine North West buses belonging to the North West Transport Investment (NTI) company were set alight in the early hours of Monday, and in a separate incident, 51 PUTCO buses were set alight last week in Mpumalanga.
Surely, this cannot be simply a coincidence,” remarked the spokesperson.
The union is convinced that there could be some form of targeted criminal sabotage taking place and it is being organized by people with a nefarious agenda.
Meanwhile, two Lesotho nationals are being questioned by the police in connection with the Rea Vaya bus killings, after a gun suspected to have been used during the commission of the crime was confiscated from them.
The incident comes as Kunene has offered a R100 000 reward for information that will lead to the arrest of the killers of two bus drivers.
