Press Statement dated 26 July 2018
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) faces blatant sabotage as yet another train was set on fire today at the Retreat Station in the Western Cape.
“At this moment Metrorail is left with just 40 train sets of the 88 train sets needed to run a proper service. This means that overcrowding of trains and the delays of the service become worse with every passing minute,” says Steve Harris, General Secretary of the United National Transport Union (UNTU).
UNTU represents the majority of employees working for Prasa, the operator of Metrorail.
On Sunday the Union called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to appoint a task team with the best of the countries expertise to investigative who is behind the ongoing arson attacks. To date this desperate plea fell on death ears.
Tomorrow Transport Minister Dr. Blade Nzimande is due to visit the Cape Town Station where six train coaches were burned on Sunday. The Union cannot see the purpose of the visit to the Station. His time could have been better send seeking solutions with all stakeholders to bring a halt to the repeated arson attacks.
To date Minister Nzimande has neglected to set a date to urgently meet with UNTU after he was asked to do so on 28 February 2018.
Harris said if the South African Police Service (SAPS) or Ministers Cele and Nzimande took notice of UNTU’s plea on Sunday, they might have been able to prevent another arson attack with proper and visible policing on the trains.
“More than a million workers in the Western Cape has no other alternative but to rely on trains to get them to and from work. The person or persons who is behind the arson attacks are taking bread out of the mouths of the families they have to feed,” says Harris.
To date there has been six incidents where train coaches belonging to Prasa in the Western Cape has been torched with a substance while it was approaching stations. Harris says every time, the same modus operandi is used.
Issued on behalf of United National Transport Union (UNTU) by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer