Commuters had to run for their lives after a Golden Arrow bus was torched by protesters in Philippi yesterday morning.
Commuters travelling along Stock Road were left high and dry just before 7am after rioters in a service delivery protest stoned the bus.
Golden Arrow suspended services on the route after the bus driver and the passengers had to flee as protesters set the bus alight.
Golden Arrow spokesperson, Bronwen Dyke-Beyer, confirmed the incident.
“One bus was set alight on the corner of Govan Mbeki and Stock Road on Monday morning. A group of unknown perpetrators surrounded the bus and began pelting it with stones. The driver and passengers then fled.
“The perpetrators then set the bus alight and it subsequently burnt out completely. The cause of the attack is unknown at this stage, but it would appear that it is related to protest action in the area,” she said.
All services between Swartklip and New Eisleben were diverted as a precautionary measure.
The City’s Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson, Jermaine Carelse, says when firefighters arrived on the scene, a truck was also set alight, just metres away from the bus.
“Just before 7.50am, the City’s Fire and Rescue Services responded to a bus alight in Govan Mbeki Road in Philippi. Three fire fighting appliances with 12 staff members were dispatched. After the bus fire was extinguished the fire crews proceeded under the SAPS and Metro Police escort to the truck was alight,”
Carelse said.
robin.frankce@inl.co.za