Eastern Cape bus depot closed for Covid-19 clean ahead of social grant weekend

The Mayibuye Transport Corporation has closed its Zwelitsha depot outside King William's Town after two of its employees tested positive for Covid-19.

This comes just days before the bus company's busiest period in the month, when they ferry social grant beneficiaries.

Transport MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe's spokesperson Unathi Binqose said the depot was closed on Saturday after two employees tested positive for the virus.

The company called in cleaning specialists the same day to start the decontamination.

He said Tikana-Gxothiwe had asked the bus company to consider roping in workers from the Alice and East London depots, to service the routes that have been affected by the temporary closure of  the Zwelitsha depot ahead of the busy social grant payments weekend, “where the demand for bus services reaches its peak” from June 4.

Binqose said: “The department of transport has called on commuters in the communities that have been inconvenienced by this temporary suspension of services to understand that the decision has been taken in their best interests, and that services will soon resume as soon as the necessary measures have been taken.”

He said the health department had been informed so they could review whether the measures taken were adequate and to trace the two workers' contacts.

“The two will return to work once they are cleared of Covid-19,” Binqose said.

To questions on the number of buses at the depot, when the depot would reopen and how many commuters would be affected Binqose did not respond.

DispatchLIVE also sent queries to provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo, but he had not responded by print deadline on Tuesday.

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