Press Statement dated 18 June 2018
A delegation of the United National Transport Union (UNTU) will attend the sentence of the murderers of UNTU train driver Piet Barend Botha in the Western Cape High Court tomorrow, 19 June 2018, to support his widow, Tania.
Botha was killed in board daylight while waiting for a train on the platform of the Netreg Station on the notorious Central Line between Cape Town and Khayelitsha in July 2016.
UNTU earlier pleaded for life imprisonment for the two gang who were convicted for the murder and armed robbery.
Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says it is time for the Courts to make an example of those responsible for senseless attacks on any employee working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
“Over the past few years Prasa has badly neglected to keep its security on railway line efficient. The result is that the employees of the state-owned enterprise who works with the public, has become soft targets for brutal criminals.
“The sentence of Piet Botha’s murderers must make the message loud and clear: Enough is enough,” says Harris.
Sonja Carstens, Deputy General Secretary of UNTU responsible for Media, Liaison and Communication of the Union, will be available at the Court for media interviews.
Issued on behalf of United National Transport Union (UNTU) by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer