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Satawu has called for the scrapping of the Gautrain project
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November 23, 2005, 21:15
The SA Allied and Transport Workers Union (Satawu) has called for the government to scrap the R20 billion Gautrain project. Satawu said its delegates at a recent central executive committee meeting demanded that instead of spending such an amount on one service, the government should use the money to upgrade the entire rail network.
"Satawu has called on government to urgently review its plans for the luxury passenger carrier, Gautrain, whose costs have escalated from an initial R7 billion estimate to R20 billion over the past few months," the union said.
"The central executive committee of the union made this resolution after evidence emerged that on one hand, the figure was likely to escalate even further and on the other hand, it would likely not service up to the 120 000 passengers currently being estimated."
Govt is ill-advised on transport
The union said that the government currently allocated just R350 million to upgrade infrastructure, "a sum that is grossly inadequate according to the department of transport. Government further gives R4.5 billion to the entire public transport sector per year.
"Satawu feels that government is ill-advised on transport, hence the blunders it has consistently made over the years," the union said.
Earlier today, Mbhazima Shilowa, the Gauteng premier, defended the Gautrain, saying he was not worried about calls from Parliament's transport portfolio committee to scrap the project. - Sapa
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