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A View from the Unions
Trade unions have been vocal in the media about their
concerns regarding the construction of the Gautrain. A major point of
concern that resonates through most of their views is the amount of money
that will be injected into the project. The projected cost of the Gautrain at this point is R20 billion, and government has so far committed R7.1
billion.
In addition, some unions have expressed anger at not
being engaged in discussions surrounding the development of the project.
Both the unions and Gautrain have not entered
into formal talks.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and
SA Allied and Transport Workers Union (Satawu) in November 2005 called
for the scrapping of the Gautrain, a call that was rejected by Mbhazima
Shilowa, the Gauteng premier.
Cosatu
Cosatu's main concern about the Gautrain is that a
‘disproportionate’ amount of government resources is being poured into a
single public transport project which will mainly benefit relatively
wealthy commuters.
Patrick Craven, the media liaison of Cosatu, says they
would rather see the money being used to improve public transport across
the board, particularly for workers and the poor who are totally
dependent on the system. Craven feels that services for the poor will
decline.
However, Craven welcomed the fact that jobs will be
created, but feels that just as many - if not more - would be created if
the government had directed the funds towards improving public transport
as a whole.
Click here to hear Craven's
view
Uasa
The United Associations of South Africa (Uasa) have also
highlighted the cost factor of the Gautrain as their major point of
contention.
Andre Venter, the general manager for strategic
development at Uasa, speculates that the costs for the Gautrain will far
supercede the projected costs. Venter feels the Gautrain will become too
expensive and that it is targeting the wrong market.
Venter says that the money would be better used
upgrading existing infrastructure. Furthermore, Venter says that the
existing rail network could have been extended into the suburbs that are
targeted by the Gautrain.
On the upside, Venter says Uasa welcomes the investment
in infrastructure and the job creation prospects. Jensen says that 93
000 jobs will be created during the construction phase and 2 500 per
year during the operational period.
On the other hand, Venter is disappointed that the
government did not engage unions for a project of this magnitude.
Click here to hear Venter's
opinion
More of Venter's views
Expert opinion
Shumani Madanda, a signalling engineer at Spoornet, has a
technical take on the purpose of the Gautrain.
Madanda says the main point of the train is to ease
congestion on major routes leading to the Johannesburg International
Airport. Madanda says that the Gautrain has a specific target, which is
people going to the airport. He says that commuters going to work are
catered for by Metrorail, and the point of the Gautrain is not to
replace this service.
Madanda says the project will also be a boost for local
labour because once the train is functional, it will be up to local
experts to maintain it.
Click here to hear Madanda's
opinion
Stuart Farrow, the Democratic Alliance spokesperson on
transport, raised concerns in Parliament in December 2005 about the
Gautrain becoming a white elephant. Jensen says that although the main
aim of the venture is investment in infrastructure, the train will also
contribute an estimated 1% to Gauteng's gross geographic product.
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