A MyCiTi bus at the Omuramba station in Milnerton, Cape Town, was set alight on Tuesday morning.

Western Cape traffic chief Kenny Africa said the incident took place at around 06:00, and the driver managed to escape unharmed. The bus was empty at the time and there were no injuries.

Africa said the police were investigating the cause of the fire, as well as who was behind it.

City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said it was not clear who was behind the fire and said there were no protesters in the vicinity at the time of the incident.

There has been an ongoing wildcat strike by bus drivers which recently turned violent. 

READ: MyCiTi bus drivers promise to ‘escalate’ strike if grievances aren’t addressed

He added that it “follows a pattern of attacks on isolated buses”.

MyCiti bus drivers embarked on a wildcat strike on October 14, with reports of intimidation and harassment. Several routes were diverted. The workers are demanding better pay and working conditions, as well as an end to the use of labour brokers.

A MyCiTi bus was stoned in Khayelitsha on October 23, and a petrol bomb was thrown at the MyCiTi bus station in Kuyasa. It was not immediately clear whether this was the same incident.

The City of Cape Town obtained an urgent interdict the week before, to stop striking drivers from intimidating, harassing or assaulting MyCiTi passengers or staff. Drivers were also interdicted from damaging MyCiTi stations or buses, and gathering less than 100m from MyCiTi stations or buses.

Part of the conflict between the City and the drivers is that the City wanted to engage with their union representatives, while the drivers said they wanted the EFF to represent them.

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