By ZELDA VENTER

Pretoria mother is traumatised after she was bitten, allegedly by a Tshwane metro bus driver, after a dispute over change.

Leonora McKenzie, secretary to Pretoria High Court Judge Billy Mothle, has laid a charge of assault at the Pretoria Central police station against the bus driver.

She told the Pretoria News she was still in shock following her harrowing ordeal.

Her hand was still swollen two days later and the teeth marks were clearly visible.

McKenzie and judges typist Simone Geldenhuys were on their way home after work. They took the Queenswood bus in town, as McKenzie wanted to fetch her baby from a daycare centre.

“When we got into the bus, the driver closed the doors while Simone’s parcels were still outside. I had to ask him to open the door, so that she could get her parcels. He then asked me where we were going and I said Queenswood.

“I gave him R20 to pay for both me and Simone. When he did not give me my change, I asked for it.

“He said there was no change, as the trip to Queenswood cost R10 per person. I told him I was sorry, I was not thinking, but we actually wanted to go as far as Pierneef Street.

“I travel this route every day and I know the fare is R5 a person to Pierneef Street. He said he was not going to give me my change as he had already clipped the tickets. I gave the R10 tickets back to him and said I wanted R5 tickets. He took the tickets and placed them in a bank packet, while he held the R20 in his hand.”

McKenzie said she had again asked him for her change, but he refused. “He told me he was going to hit me and instructed me to get off the bus. I was adamant I wanted my change and as I leaned forward to take the R20 note out of his hand, he grabbed my hand and bit it.

“He held my hand tightly and bit it for a very long time.

“I was in excruciating pain and screamed out loud.”

McKenzie said the bus driver had got up from his seat and moved towards her.

“I was terrified. I thought he was going to hit me and send me flying out of the bus.”

She went to sit down in the bus next to her friend and disinfected her hand with a disinfectant she had in her bag.

Geldenhuys, meanwhile, wrote down the bus’s details, the route and the bus number.

“I was in such a state of shock that I then gave him an earful. I asked him whether his mother did not teach him manners. I also told him he was not doing me a favour and that he was a public servant, delivering a public service. My hand was extremely painful by that time.”

She was even more infuriated when a commuter got off the bus and the driver gave the person change.

After fetching her child, she went to a doctor, who gave her antibiotics. She did not need a tetanus injection as she had one last year. “The doctor warned me that a person’s teeth were extremely dirty and that I could suffer severe consequences from the bite.”

The incident happened on Monday. On Tuesday, McKenzie went to the bus depot to obtain information about the bus driver so that she could report him.

“The official was extremely unhelpful, even though I gave him the bus number. He could not give me a name, but I eventually managed to get the name from someone else.”

McKenzie said that although she commuted via this route every day, she had never been on this particular bus as she was late on Monday and normally took an earlier bus.

“But I am now too terrified to take any bus. I don’t know where to complain, because nobody is listening. I am still suffering from shock and my hand is still extremely painful.

“I have four witnesses who were on the bus and saw what happened. I am not going to leave this matter here. I am definitely going to institute a damages claim against the council for pain and suffering.”

Council spokeswoman Brenda Mpitsang said they would investigate the matter.

Pretoria News