Putco describes torching of its busses as well-orchestrated attack

CAPE TOWN - Bus company Putco has described the torching of its vehicles at a number of Mpumalanga depots as a well-orchestrated attack.  

Police have confirmed the arrest of two suspects on Tuesday night.  

A group of people stormed depots in the Nkangala district on Monday night, and 51 Putco buses were torched.  

A security guard was shot and wounded, while two employees were injured during an assault.  

The bus operator has blamed ongoing tensions with the taxi industry, adding that its operations are often disrupted by taxi associations.  

“We met with police and we have been engaging with police for the last three weeks, even months, actually," said said Putco's Franco Pisapia.

"We have had cooperation but obviously they are not fully capable in terms of resources to be able to deal with this widespread problem because it’s over a big area. We are also doing our own investigations.” 

Pisapia said they are working to normalise the service, as thousands of commuters are being inconvenienced.

“We as Putco have already deployed. As of yesterday [Tuesday], we started a deployment of 50 buses through our bus pool to take over these routes affected by the buses that were burnt, so we are hoping to have a fully normalised service by the latest the day after tomorrow [Friday].”