SAPS Investigating After More Than 20 Buses Set Alight in Pretoria

• The South African Police Service is investigating a case of arson after a fleet of buses was set ablaze in Pretoria
• The incident happened on 17 June 2205, and the City of Tshwane firefighters battled the fire at a Mabopane bus depot
• South Africans blamed the taxi industry for the incident and said those responsible must face the law

Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, covered a range of criminal activities, including cash-in-transit heists, kidnappings, taxi violence, police investigations, police shootouts, and court cases at Daily Sun for over three years.

TSHWANE — South Africans were fuming after more than 20 buses at a bus depot in Mapobane, Tshwane, were torched on 17 June 2025.

Buses torched in Mapobane

According to SABC News, the City of Tshwane firefighter battled and extinguished the buses, which belonged to the Starline bus company. The cause of the incident is not clear, and no one was injured during the torching of the buses.

Similar incidents where buses were torched

• Golden Arrow Bus Service secured an interim interdict against the South African National Taxi Council after six buses were torched in Cape Town in August 2023 during violent taxi strikes
• A woman shared a video in January 2025 of passengers evacuating an Intercape bus on 18 December 2025, and the video showed the passengers jumping out of the bus with their luggage
• A total of 50 buses were set alight in Mpumalanga in January in four depots, and two security guards were injured in the attack, which left many South Africans baffled
• Two suspects were arrested days after the incident, and the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, condemned the incident and instructed the police to investigate the case
• About 97 people were injured when a bus collided with a truck in February in Gauteng when it collided with a truck

What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on the incident were stunned and condemned the incident.

Moshoene said:

"The taxi industry, often operating with little oversight, poses a significant and growing security risk in South Africa. One day, the true extent of their influence may become undeniable. We've heard it before: an owner once openly states their allegiances on national television."

Karabo said:

"Now our parents have to cough out extra money which they did not budget to take taxis to work because of this."

DaddyCool said:

"Those responsible should face the full might of the law."

Nit_Twit asked:

"When is the penny going to drop as to why and who is responsible for these acts of arson? Intercape, Putco, and now Starline. Guess the common denominator."

Simand Manzini said:

"Taxi guys are out of control. Government needs to do something coz soon this is going to be a mafia state."

2 Rea Vaya bus drivers killed in separate incidents

In a related article, Briefly News reported that two Rea Vaya bus drivers were killed in two incidents on 3 February 2025 in Soweto. The police said that the motive behind the incidents was unknown.

One of the drivers was shot by an unknown suspect when he stopped at a traffic light in Protea Glen. The other incident happened on Mapetla when a driver was gunned down while the bus while moving.

Source: Briefly News