Communist Party Calls for De-Privatization of Durban Bus System

Critics are calling on the City of Durban and the municipality of eThekwini to take over control of Durban's citywide bus system, which the city had privatized in 2003. The recent downfall of the city's bus operator, Remant Alton, and replacement by Transnat Africa Bus Company has spurred complaints about institutional inefficiencies from the South African Communist Party.

"What the city is doing is just shifting responsibility from one operator to another. The SACP therefore calls for the immediate takeover of the public transport operation. This is indeed feasible as it has been proven throughout the world and in other South African cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town that the only effective way to run a public transport system is if it is run by the municipality involved," said Themba Mthembu, the provincial secretary of the SACP.

The SACP has also called for a full investigation into the collapse of the bus system under Remant Alton, saying that this had cost taxpayers about half a billion rands in bailout funds to the operator.

Take the wheel, Durban, says SACP
Daily News
July 14, 2009