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BUS CONDUCTOR KILLED IN FIGHT OVER PASSENGERS

11/11/2023 08:36:00 Joseph Zulu

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MBABANE – If it were a movie, it would have been a rated horror.

A bus conductor, also referred to as umholeli, was brutally murdered in full view of pupils who were on their way to school. The incident happened around Vuvulane and is said to have been coming from Mhlume. The incident has left the public bitter, but also shocked that it happened in full view of the public including children who are said to be still traumatised by the incident.

It was gathered that the bus conductor, Thembinkosi ‘Bhasobha’ Dlamini (26) was aboard a bus styled Intamakuphila. The bus was reportedly en route to Vuvulane from Mhlume. It allegedly took a gravel road to transport some pupils from some schools around the area, including Vuvulane High School. Investigations by Eswatini News revealed that this incident happened about a week ago. Bhasobha was laid to rest over the weekend of November 4, 2023. He is said to have been operating under the Tshaneni Bus Rank.

Though Bhasobha’s family stated that he was a conductor, it was also gathered from some of the operators that he was not employed by the said bus company, but would assist in carrying bags onto the bus. However, the family insisted that he had been with the company for nearly 10 years.

Shortage

In Eswatini, similar to South Africa (SA), a majority of people use public transport. However, the number of people in need of buses and kombis sometimes dwindle after 8am, mainly from Monday to Friday, when people are at work and school. That is when the public transport industry experiences the shortage of passengers. Such shortfalls usually result in drivers over-speeding and racing to get to the commuters first.

South Africa, in particular, experiences public transport wars whereby conductors exchange gunfire. There are cases where rivals kill each other to eliminate competition. Eswatini News has learnt that the kombi in question stopped in front of the bus, which was already preparing to pick up some passengers.

Speaking to this publication, on condition of anonymity, some pupils alleged that when the bus stopped, Bhasobha also got out of the vehicle so that he could assist some passengers in boarding the bus for which he was working.
He is said to have picked up some bags belonging to commuters just before they could board the bus.

However, the kombi that had stopped in front of the bus is said to have reversed. He was apparently unhappy with the conduct of the bus conductor as he was leading the passengers to his vehicle. The pupils alleged that the kombi reversed in such a way that it appeared as though it was going to hit Bhasobha who was taking the passengers’ bags onto the bus. According to Bhashobha’s father, Gedlemba Dlamini, the kombi driver is alleged to have alighted from his vehicle and allegedly stabbed Bhasopha with what appeared to be a sharp object.

Concern

The object, he said, appeared to be like a knife made from a slasher. Gedlemba expressed concern that it looked as though the transport industry had taken the matter lightly despite the fact that his son served them for about 10 years.
He also expressed concern that the working conditions for bus conductors flouted labour practices. He said there was no compensation for bus conductors who died in their line of duty. After the alleged stabbing, the driver is said to have fled from the scene, but he was allegedly pursued by some members of the public as well as others in the transport industry.

The kombi driver, who was identified as Celumusa Maphanga, was later apprehended. A man who was identified as Khoza confirmed the incident. In his recollection, he said there was an altercation which resulted in a fight, wherein the driver drew out a knife and stabbed the conductor. He also revealed that after Maphanga was apprehended, he was handed over to the police. “I personally handed him over to the police,” he said. He further referred questions to the management of Intamakuphila Transport, but they could not be reached for comment.

Maphanga was charged with murder. He appeared at the Simunye Magistrates Court. He will be committed to the High Court. The veracity of these allegations against Maphanga shall be contested during trial. Meanwhile, it is not uncommon for competition over passengers to end in violent fights, accidents and even deaths.

Intense

The fights become so intense that passengers are sometimes literally forced out of one public transport vehicle into another. This is common along the Mbabane-Manzini High route and also the Madlangampisi-Tshaneni routes.
Fights over passengers are also common around Pigg’s Peak, where some kombi operators blocked the exit so that the buses could not leave. They had been complaining that the buses were getting more passengers and yet their fares were less than what the kombis were charging.

Currently, the Pigg’s Peak dispute is still pending, as the matter was reported to the police several times for intervention. However, the public transport operators failed to reach an agreement with police officers in Pigg’s Peak and ended up requesting that the matter be handled by the Mbabane Police Station. In December 2016, a race for passengers resulted in the death of five people when a kombi was crushed into a waiting room at Elangeni. The driver is said to have crushed into a waiting room. It was alleged at the time that the accident happened when the public transport operators were racing over passengers.

A police officer was also among the people who died in the wrecked kombi, but the driver survived. In 2021, an accident in which at least six people died was also caused when kombi drivers were racing over customers. This is said to be along the Madlangampisi Tshaneni Road. It was alleged at the time that the kombi had just overtaken another when it lost control and hit a tree. As it lost control, the conductor miraculously jumped out and survived. When the kombi hit a tree, it caught fire and trapped the passengers. At least six passengers, including a police officer, were burnt to death.