Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the state of lawlessness in the commuter rail environment must end. He visited Cape Town Train Station after two trains were torched and 18 coaches were gutted.
In the early hours of this morning, 2 train sets were set alight at Cape Town station this morning. This resulted in the gutting of 18 coaches with the damage estimated at R61 million. Over the last 5 years, 213 coaches were lost due to arson at a cost of R643 million. pic.twitter.com/aNJm3Kibw5
— Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) November 28, 2019
The damage is estimated at R61 million.
Ongoing attacks on the Metrorail passenger service have raised questions about the motive.
We call upon organs of civil society, which include organisations like United Commuters’ Voice and #Unite Behind and many others, to champion the campaign against criminality in our railways. The duty to improve our commuter rail service is a collective one. pic.twitter.com/wgND9NJdjI
— Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) November 28, 2019
Mbalula maintains that the recent cancellation of security contracts by Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) could be contributing to the lawlessness.
The burning of trains is violent and is an attack to the poor. We must all join in and condemn the acts of damage to services that help the most vulnerable amongst us to get to work and their homes. pic.twitter.com/mH2sdWxq3V
— Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) November 28, 2019
“We have always said that there is a criminal hand rendering this place unworkable and ungovernable… that has always been the modus operandi. Whether this is linked to security companies, and these are their activities, and whether it is the motive we can’t vividly say. But those are the people that are aggrieved because the Prasa Board, through the decisions of the Auditor General, took a decision to cancel these contracts,” adds Mbalula.