Cape Argus reports that almost seven months after the Public Protector (PP) confirmed that she was investigating the causes behind the myriad failures of Metrorail in the Western Cape, there are still no findings.
PP spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said that while the investigations were continuing, there was nothing to report on so far. On 29 August last year, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane received a letter from the provincial standing committee on transport and public works requesting an urgent investigation into Metrorail, but the chairperson of the committee, Nceba Hinana, lamented that they were still waiting for the report. United Commuters Voice spokesperson Joao Jardim said: “Mkhwebane is either useless or uninformed. She has no gut to finish the investigation. All we need is to be provided with concrete feedback.” But while Mkhwebane’s investigations into Metrorail are continuing, the specialised Rail Enforcement Unit (REU), which was launched in October last year to combat attacks on the rail commuter service's infrastructure, is making arrests almost every week. Transport and Public Works MEC Donald Grant said the REU’s stop-and-searches conducted at various hotspots had wielded positive results, as well as the recovery of property and various weapons used to commit crimes.
- Read the full original of Sisonke Mlamla’s report on the above at Cape Argus
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