At Moneyweb Ryk van Niekerk spoke to CEO Intercape about the daily attacks on buses by disgruntled taxi operators, and Minister Fikile Mbalula’s failure to come up with an action plan.
This transcript is a translation of the original interview, which was conducted in Afrikaans and aired on RSG Geldsake.
LISTEN: ‘Mbablula, do you work’
RYK VAN NIEKERK: In October last year I spoke with Johann Ferreira from Intercape, and this was after the Eastern Cape High Court ordered the Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula, and the Eastern Cape MEC for transport to make an action plan and now. to court on how to stop attacks on Intercape buses in the Eastern Cape. This happens because disgruntled taxi operators attack Intercape buses almost every day, because Intercape services are cheaper than taxis. Among other things, they shot at buses and threw stones. Many people were injured.
Instead of listening to the court and participating in the creation of the plan, Fikile Mbalula preferred to seek permission to appeal the court order – and the application was rejected this week.
Also read: Court orders Mbalula to provide security for Intercape buses on fire
Johann Ferreira is once again on the line. Johann, welcome to the program. The situation is almost strange. The court ordered the minister to do his job, and he wants to file an appeal. The application has now been rejected. But what is the current situation for your operation in East Cape?
JOHANN FERREIRA: Good afternoon, Ryk and listeners. On January 15th [2023], This coming week, we will resume suspended services in the Eastern Cape. That means we will serve five cities that we could not serve a year ago. We believe that the police and the MEC for transport in the Eastern Cape, as well as the Minister of National Transport, will implement the plan they have on the table.
We are in contact with the police and they have been deployed in the area and in the cities. We at Intercape have the support of the police and traffic, as well as arrange personal security when the bus enters the city and [surrounding] territory. Here’s the situation. We are also in business. We take reservations. If something happens it will be recorded. And if we feel that the police are not adequate, we will go directly to the court for a more comprehensive plan that will be determined by the court and implemented in the police, as well as in the national transport minister, together with the MEC for transport in the Eastern Cape.
RYK VAN NIEKERK: Fikile Mbalula was not involved in formulating the plan. Tanjung Timur MEC is …. What is in the proposed plan, what is the solution to this problem?
Also Read: Mbalula appeals to the court to protect Intercape’s refusal to perform work that has been paid for
JOHANN FERREIRA: It’s a standard solution. What they do is they take standards, let’s say, policies and procedures out of the charter or, let’s say, police prescripts, and then publish it as a plan. In other words, what they say is that visual policing will be implemented, there will be roadblocks, special emphasis will be placed on the validity of permits, etc. It is very vague and also very broad. It is a plan that we as Intercape criticize, and we tabled a very specific plan with specific results. This plan was completely ignored.
So at this point, we have no choice but to accept what’s on the table – which is considered very vague and potentially inadequate – for now. Therefore, we have put in extra personal security, over and above policing – it costs us thousands of rands per day – to see what will eventually happen.
RYK VAN NIEKERK: This situation also exists in other industries, such as in the mining and construction sectors. There is a mining and construction mafia, the costs of which are driving the cost of doing business in South Africa.
I assume you have been in contact with other industries that have been in similar situations, where the police and the department in charge have done nothing to do the right thing. Are there any such discussions?
JOHANN FERREIRA: No, so far there has been no such discussion. But I can tell you that since we started to act – take a stand for what is right and refuse to submit to bribery and hooliganism and others – I have seen through everything that the police are powerless. Many of them are in the pockets of taxis, especially in Tanjung Timur. I know that the minister of transport, the minister of police and the president of the country do not want to do anything because at the end of the day … I think it is time that South Africa and the public see it for what it is.
Finally, the taxi called the government. In other words, the tail is wagging the dog.
We can speculate about this, and we can talk about it, but I’m telling you it’s a fact.
Here we have a proverbial example where the minister simply refuses to pay attention to the calls and warnings in not one, not two, but several lawyers’ letters, social media and newspapers.
I warned them, ‘You will have blood on your hands, people will be killed’. People have been killed, people have been injured. But the minister decided that it was not his business; The road transport act does not state that he and the MEC must act.
This is the weakest type of argument, and one that is brought to court.
So half way through the process of three court cases the legal team gave up; he got a new legal team.
When we filed a Section 18 application to oblige the minister to support the MEC’s action plan, the minister suddenly rolled over and said, okay, okay, I was wrong, I’ll support it, but I don’t have to work with the MEC, and I’ll take it on appeal.
Of course South African public money is being wasted on ridiculous court cases.
It has arrived [Mbalula] as a minister recently promoted by the country’s president, is now appointed secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC). Only last weekend he stood up and declared that strong action will be taken against ministers who do not do their jobs.
He is a man who has been ordered by the court three times to do his job, and who now, I can tell you, has been blamed for not doing his job. He didn’t even get permission to appeal because his case was so bad.
So I really think that the South African public and the business sector should look at what they have. We have very weak leadership in … and we have to continue [President] Ramaphosa is responsible for this situation because he made bad choices, bad choices.
RYK VAN NIEKERK: But is this incompetence or – can I say – corruption involved?
JOHANN FERREIRA: I am involved in corruption, and thus incompetence. I don’t think it’s either/or. I think it’s a combination of a few things. I think at the end of the day playing on the word there, if a rented vehicle or a taxi is involved, it is a ‘taxi and the resident’, never calling a person, never giving an address. And on, on. If a bus or plane causes an accident involving people, it is a major event. I think South Africa has become desensitized – if I can use that word – that ‘just another person dies’.
The strange thing is, when someone high up is attacked or their life is threatened, everyone jumps. But when a bus driver is shot, killed in cold blood – and there are still attacks where people are shot through the windshield, five meters in broad daylight – then this is not murder, but ‘violence’. It is not violence, it is terrorism. If the plane was shot down on takeoff, what would we think? Do we also call it ‘violence’? No, it’s not violence, it’s terrorism. So we have to see what it is.
I just thought [President] Ramaphosa has completely overplayed his hand to elect this poor minister, [Bheki] Cele is one, who will now also be prosecuted, along with the National Prosecuting Authority, for not doing anything. More than 150 cases have been arrested. One person was arrested, and that person was released. Why? Because the evidence presented was ‘very flimsy’, there was absolutely no case.
What is the basis of all this? It’s not the police’s job. He can’t do his job because he’s incompetent or his hands are tied. They do not cooperate.
I would like to conclude that the government should include cooperating departments. That is ‘cooperative government’. So, while he doesn’t understand the basic principles of how to manage a division, his ministry — because cooperative management means working together — is him [Mbalula] will not cooperate with the MEC because, according to people who are not in action, not in the Constitution. That is how the ANC decided to rule the country, And now he is the head of the ANC.
I tell you that our country has other problems that we want to believe or admit, because everything is labeled ‘race’, which has nothing to do with competence.
RYK VAN NIEKERK: Johann, we should leave it there. Thank you for your time tonight. I’m sure we’ll talk again. That is Johann Ferreira from Intercape.
In addition to Sasfin Wealth head of advice Johan Gouws:
RYK VAN NIEKERK: From one Johann to another Johan [here from Sasfin Wealth], it’s a strong word, but I think it’s time that people stand up and say, listen, this is the scenario playing out. I really believe that it is not only in this industry, but in every industry, and especially in the mining and construction industry.
JOHAN GOUWS: Right, Ryk. We all need to be optimistic, but you can only be optimistic up to a point, and then you have to face reality. I think it’s great that we have people like Johann [Ferreira] who can clearly point to these things. This is something we can no longer ignore.
This article first appeared on Moneyweb and is republished with permission. Read the original article here.
Author profile:
Ryk Van Niekerk is an award-winning financial journalist with over 20 years of experience.
He is the editor of Moneyweb and hosts the podcast Market Commentator and RSG Geldsake, which covers markets, and financial and investment content, joined by CEOs, entrepreneurs, policy makers and others.
Ryk is a renowned public speaker and facilitator, and a regular political and economic commentator on local media platforms. He has an MBL and an M.Phil in Journalism – both cum laude.