The EFF has accused transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga of sabotaging the party's plans to ferry protesters by bus to Pretoria.
EFF leader Julius Malema told protesters on Monday the party had spent over R1m to hire buses to ferry its supporters but the bus contractors had withdrawn their services at the eleventh hour.
“It was an act of sabotage because all buses are sponsored by the state. They told us at 2am that they cannot give us buses. They even shared the communication to demonstrate that they are not lying. We had to improvise and make use of taxis in order to be here. The government of the day tried to sabotage us, we want our money back,” he said.
In a letter, which TimesLIVE has seen, Transnat bus company told the party that as subsidised contractors they were “convened by the transport minister who instructed that the department does not expect bus operators to be hiring vehicles contracted by government”.
“We were further informed that in the event of failure to adhere to these instructions will prejudice our relationship with the relevant contracting authority and may result in buses being impounded under these circumstances and our contract not being extended or cancelled,” the letter read.
Transnat told the EFF it regretted it would be unable to provide the bus service as it would be in breach of its contract.
“We do apologise for the inconvenience caused and will be issuing a refund.”
It was also communicated to the party that the South African Bus Operators Association [SABOA] was called to an emergency pre-meeting of MINMEC on Sunday evening, where Chikunga reiterated her appreciation to the bus industry for its support and commitment to operate as normal on Monday.
In a leaked e-mail, it is alleged the meeting “stressed that by all accounts no buses should be hired out for the purposes of attending the stayaway and protest gatherings”.
“It was clearly indicated that any buses found to be used to promote disruptions and or blockages will be impounded and this must not be taken as government working against the industry but rather for proactive diffusing of the situation,” read the e-mail.
SABOA said it was “incumbent upon operators to ensure buses are not hired to ferry protesters and thus used for illegal actions”.
Transport ministry spokesperson Lwazilwaphesheya Khoza said the allegations were unfounded.
“The minister was merely reiterating to all stakeholders in all our provinces that they should continue to operate as normal as Monday is a normal working day. She highlighted the importance of security on our roads and rail and put transport stakeholders into confidence that the necessary measures have been taken to protect them,” said Khoza.
EFF accuses transport minister of 'sabotaging' plans to ferry supporters to Pretoria for shutdown
Image: Supplied
The EFF has accused transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga of sabotaging the party's plans to ferry protesters by bus to Pretoria.
EFF leader Julius Malema told protesters on Monday the party had spent over R1m to hire buses to ferry its supporters but the bus contractors had withdrawn their services at the eleventh hour.
“It was an act of sabotage because all buses are sponsored by the state. They told us at 2am that they cannot give us buses. They even shared the communication to demonstrate that they are not lying. We had to improvise and make use of taxis in order to be here. The government of the day tried to sabotage us, we want our money back,” he said.
In a letter, which TimesLIVE has seen, Transnat bus company told the party that as subsidised contractors they were “convened by the transport minister who instructed that the department does not expect bus operators to be hiring vehicles contracted by government”.
“We were further informed that in the event of failure to adhere to these instructions will prejudice our relationship with the relevant contracting authority and may result in buses being impounded under these circumstances and our contract not being extended or cancelled,” the letter read.
Transnat told the EFF it regretted it would be unable to provide the bus service as it would be in breach of its contract.
“We do apologise for the inconvenience caused and will be issuing a refund.”
It was also communicated to the party that the South African Bus Operators Association [SABOA] was called to an emergency pre-meeting of MINMEC on Sunday evening, where Chikunga reiterated her appreciation to the bus industry for its support and commitment to operate as normal on Monday.
In a leaked e-mail, it is alleged the meeting “stressed that by all accounts no buses should be hired out for the purposes of attending the stayaway and protest gatherings”.
“It was clearly indicated that any buses found to be used to promote disruptions and or blockages will be impounded and this must not be taken as government working against the industry but rather for proactive diffusing of the situation,” read the e-mail.
SABOA said it was “incumbent upon operators to ensure buses are not hired to ferry protesters and thus used for illegal actions”.
Transport ministry spokesperson Lwazilwaphesheya Khoza said the allegations were unfounded.
“The minister was merely reiterating to all stakeholders in all our provinces that they should continue to operate as normal as Monday is a normal working day. She highlighted the importance of security on our roads and rail and put transport stakeholders into confidence that the necessary measures have been taken to protect them,” said Khoza.
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