Timeslive reports that a stunning 869 employees suffered disabling injuries while on duty working for the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) over the past three financial years.  Fifteen more people died at the agency's premises during the period between April 2015 and March 2018.  

This was revealed in Transport Minister Blade Nzimande’s written reply to a parliamentary question by DA MP Chris Hunsinger.  The overwhelming number of the disabling injuries (853) were due to assaults by fare evading commuters and the public and also from injuries resulting from company motor vehicles‚ electrocutions‚ smoke inhalations resulting from high tension burnouts‚ trips and falls resulting from uneven surfaces and on platforms and unsafe acts.  While some of the fatalities were a result of train accidents, including collisions and staff falling between platforms and trains and being struck by trains as a result of the falls, Nzimande reported that members of the public and commuters were perpetrators of deadly violence in some cases.  Nzimande gave the reassurance that all injuries and fatalities had been reported to the Department of Labour as required by the Compensation and Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act.

• Read this report by Andisiwe Makinana in full at Timeslive

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