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News24 reports that two trains were set alight and shops looted at Cape Town station on Monday night, when commuters went on the rampage in reaction to lengthy delays. No injuries were reported.
Police were on the scene and helping to keep protesters at bay while the firefighters tried to douse the flames. The smoke was so thick that firefighters had called a truck with special breathing equipment to the scene. City of Cape Town fire and rescue spokesperson Theo Layne said the station was not on fire, as some people had tweeted. The chaos started early in the evening, when passengers became increasingly irate over lengthy delays, which Metrorail attributed to an overloaded electrical system. Metrorail’s Richard Walker apologised to customers, but criticised those who caused the damage. Surveillance footage would be studied to open cases of malicious damage to property. Technicians restored power at 20:52.
- Read this report by Jenni Evans and Austil Mathebula in full at News24
- Read too, Commuters rebel as Metrorail fails in Cape Town, at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page