Johannesburg - Five buses have been destroyed after unknown suspects allegedly trespassed and opened fire on security officers at Putco’s bus depot in Nancefield, Joburg south.
The incident is understood to have taken place late on Sunday night.
The alleged armed trespassers were spotted by security guards during their patrols, and they opened fire on the security personnel.
Putco bus spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said it was unknown how the buses caught fire, and they were dependent on authorities to shed light on the incident.
He said Putco had also opened a criminal case with the police.
Xulu said the five buses that were set alight were not actually owned by Putco, but they were leased from sub-contractors.
“We got a report from the security team that, late last night, they saw an unidentified number of people at the depot.
“When they approached them, they shot at them and fled, and later, a fire was identified,” he said.
Xulu said initially, three buses caught fire as bus drivers and others who were at the depot scrambled to move the buses away from the fire.
Two other buses caught fire.
Xulu said the bus company would develop an operational plan to deal with the loss of five buses from their operational fleet.
Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi confirmed that emergency rescue officers and firefighters attended to the fire. He said they were not yet aware what caused the fire and said the relevant authorities were still investigating.
He also said there were no injuries reported.
JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said they had referred investigations to the SAPS, who are expected to investigate the alleged trespassing, shooting and the fire incident.
SAPS was approached for comment but was yet to comment. This story will be updated once they have commented.
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