 Dedicated Rea Vaya bus drivers and ambassadors have been supported by the mayor and other City officials, who called them pioneers who made Joburg great.
JOBURG’S executive mayor, Amos Masondo, thanked the Bus Rapid Transit system’s drivers for doing a great job when he visited the home of Rea Vaya bus driver Dumisani Mazibuko, whose Soweto house was burnt in an attack on 16 March.
The mayoral committee member for transport, Rehana Moosajee, meets Rea Vaya bus driver Dumisani Mazibuko
SAFETY
Greeting the mayor with a smile, Mazibuko said: “I may appear smiling but the attack on my house has affected me and my family. I am afraid for my and their safety.”
The driver showed Masondo through his four-roomed house in Mapetla Extension while telling him what had happened on the night of the attack. The damage is visible, with charred remains of furniture in the dining room and the bitter smell of burnt fabric and wood still in the air.
He had been asleep when, at about midnight, “loud footsteps” in the yard woke him. He got up and heard a noise in the dining room. On opening the bedroom, “a ball of fire” struck him in the face. Mazibuko and his wife “immediately rushed to the other bedroom where my children sleep. We helped them escape through the window.”
He did not manage to see his attackers, focusing instead on rescuing the children, Mazibuko added.
The bus driver is employed by Clidet, a temporary company running the Rea Vaya until the negotiations with affected operators are complete. They have taken steps to assist Mazibuko through the ordeal. A contractor has since been assigned to work on fixing the damage caused by the fire .
“I know each person has his own views but they should not express them through acts of violence,” Masondo said, reiterating that the City’s doors remained open for negotiations with all affected operators. “There are so many things happening these past few days but our doors are not closed. What we are saying to all those who want to join us, [they] can do so.”
DRIVERS
The City team also paid a visit to some of the Rea Vaya drivers who park their buses at Wembley Stadium in Turffontein during the off peak.
Moosajee commended the Rea Vaya drivers and station ambassadors for their dedication, describing them as “pioneers”.
“When we say ‘You make Joburg great’, we are also referring to you, the Rea Vaya bus drivers,” she added.
Related stories:
|
News Archive 
