Top South African company hit by murder, intimidation, and extortion

South African transport giant Intercape has been a victim of persistent crime, with 200 cases of murder, attempted murder, intimidation, and extortion.

Intercape is Southern Africa’s largest bus operator, which has offered long-distance services for over 50 years.

The company was founded by Johan Ferreira in 1971 with a single bus. It grew rapidly, and by 1976, it had expanded to five buses.

In 1979, Ferreira started a second passenger bus company in Cape Town and called it Intercape, operating a shuttle service between the Cape Town airport and the City Centre.

In 1986, Intercape applied for and obtained intercity permits for the transport of passengers between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

In 2008, Johann Ferreira Junior, who had joined the company in 1986, acquired 100% of Intercape’s shares from the Ferreira family trust and took over its management.

What used to be a straightforward transportation company changed in recent years due to attacks on the business.

Ferreira explained that the conflict started in 2016 when the taxi operator began to question the validity of Intercape’s bus permits on specific routes.

Meetings were held with local authorities and the provincial regulatory entities responsible for issuing permits.

“Nothing could be found wrong with our permits, and we continued with our services,” Ferreira said.

This was the start of a low-level war. When the taxi bosses saw they could not legally stop Intercape, they went underground and started attacking the buses.

“They started to victimise the drivers and the passengers and threw stones at buses. They also prevented passengers from boarding and disembarking the coaches,” he said.

When this did not work, they escalated their actions, which included shooting at the Intercape buses on specific routes.

“They assaulted the drivers and passengers, stopping buses at the bus stations in the Eastern Cape and pulling passengers from the buses, armed with guns,” he said.

“It escalated to a point where a driver was murdered. Many passengers were injured. Drivers were injured. Passengers were traumatised. Our staff was traumatised.”

What is particularly concerning is that the police made no effort to arrest anyone despite 200 pending cases.

Intercape could not take legal action against the taxi industry, as it is impossible to find the bosses behind the scenes.

“You don’t get a real address. You don’t get a real name. Nothing is real. Everything is underground and undercover,” Ferreira explained.

Intercape takes the fight to Parliament

On Wednesday, 14 May 2025, Intercape appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Police to urge the police to take action to halt the ongoing acts of violence and intimidation.

The Portfolio Committee, chaired by Ian Cameron of the DA, is hearing evidence of “attacks on long-haul bus operations” and the police’s lack of response to the crisis.

“Intercape has opened over 200 cases with the police, ranging from murder and attempted murder to intimidation and extortion,” the company said.

Despite submitting a large volume of evidence, police have not made a single arrest, and no one has been prosecuted.

Advocate Kate Hofmeyr told the committee that the attacks against Intercape were severe and that the SAPS’ response was inadequate.

Intercape even got court orders for the SA Police to take action. However, they failed to take significant action, which raises questions about their dedication to their duties.

The financial toll on Intercape has been significant, causing millions in damages.

• It has covered medical bills for injured passengers amounting to over R420,000.

• It was forced to suspend services in certain towns in the Eastern Cape, resulting in lost revenue of over R30 million.

• It incurred over R3 million in additional expenditure for private security escorts.

• It spent nearly R5.5 million on repair costs for damaged coaches.

Intercape said the rot runs much deeper than just the police’s inability to get a handle on the violence and intimidation directed against its operations.

The company says the government does not respect the rule of law and is in breach of its Constitutional obligations.

This was after the company secured nine court orders in its bid to compel the government to intervene and halt attacks and acts of intimidation.

“This is a blatant case of contempt of court and is being committed by a government which undertook a sworn oath of office to uphold the Constitution,” Ferraira said.

Intercape bus attacks