Pretoria News reports that more than 80% of train stations in Gauteng have been left in ruins after they were stripped of anything of value, leaving hundreds of commuters stranded.
The infrastructure was ravaged after President Cyril Ramaphosa placed the country under lockdown last year following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. This left train stations unguarded, paving the way for thieves to plunder everything from cables, handrails and windows to doors and bricks. Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said last month at the launch of the People’s Responsibility to Protect campaign, aimed at addressing the challenges facing the rail sector, that the government was coming up with interventions to remedy the situation at train stations. Responding to questions this week, Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) spokesperson Bane Ndlovu said they were attending to the matter with urgency. “The technical team has evaluated the extent of the infrastructure damage and has assessed the scope of work required to restore the corridors for train services. To this end a procurement process is being embarked upon to source service providers who will come and repair the lines, including the power supply system,” he indicated. He urged communities to report criminal elements that were vandalising the much-needed infrastructure.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mashudu Sadike at Petoria News
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