Press Statement dated 22 September 2018
The United National Transport Union (UNTU) will approach the Courts with an urgent application to force the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Government to protect employees working for this state-owned enterprise (SOE) and commuters who are depending on rail as public transport.
Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says the Union has no other alternative after yesterday’s spree of horrific violent crimes by criminals on Metrorail trains resulting in another innocent commuter being thrown out of a moving train.
“UNTU have reached a point where the Union have to admit that the situation on our Commuters trains has reached such a state that Government and Prasa is blatantly ignoring one of our fundamental Constitutional rights, the right to life, set out in our Bill of Rights, when you enter the premises of PRASA’s stations across the country,” says Harris.
According to him it does not help to call on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to adhere to its Constitutional obligation when it comes to Prasa.
“The SAPS have a responsibility to prevent, combat and investigate crime; maintain public order and to protect and secure the inhabitants of South Africa and their property. The SAPS have lost the battle when it comes to rail safety. They don’t have the manpower, means, knowledge nor the necessary crime intelligence to try and combat the ongoing and escalating war on our commuter railway lines,” says Harris.
Harris says Black Friday started in Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday morning when a mob of commuters when on a rampage to indicate their frustration with PRASA’s shortage of train sets.
“Train coaches and several cars were set alight. UNTU is trying to establish the extent of the havoc, but our members have been intimidated by PRASA managers not to give details to the Union. If these horrific working conditions is not enough, they now must fear victimisation from their incompetent employer,” says Harris.
On Friday afternoon a commuter sustained moderate injuries when he was thrown out of a moving train between the Cape Town Station and the Woodstock Station.
“Luckily this commuter survived. Two weeks ago, another 32-year old man died on the same route when a group of armed men attacked commuters on a Metrorail train between Lynedoch and Eerste River in broad daylight. Eight other male passengers were injured in the incident,” says Harris.
A few hours after this incident, at least five train coaches went up in flames when a coach was torched on the Northern line between Dal Josafat and Huguenot Station. A substance was used to ensure that the train spread fast as in all the other unsolved arson attacks on train coaches in the Western Cape over the past months.
“Enough is enough. If Government can’t draw the line, UNTU will ask the Courts to decide what workers and citizens can expect authorities to do to prevent this and to protect workers and commuters in a democratic state,” says Harris.
He has sent several letters to Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Transport, to meet with the leadership of UNTU to look for solutions. They have been left unanswered.
In another desperate attempt to protect workers and commuters, Wyndham Evans, President of UNTU, wrote an urgent letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday 17 September 2018 to intervene. He got no response.
According to Harris UNTU asked its Prasa members to report all safety related incidents to the Union after the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) re-issued Prasa’s safety permit.
“UNTU can proof that PRASA managers have not been reporting all safety related incidents to the RSR as they should in accordance with the Railway Safety Regulator Act. The Union believes that the RSR would not have issued PRASA with a operators safety permit valid till August 2019 if it was aware of what is going on at ground level,” says Harris.
UNTU members are so afraid of victimisation that they don’t report safety related incidents on RSR’s toll free number even if they are guaranteed that whistle blowers will be kept anonymous.
UNTU leadership will meet with its legal team to bring the urgent application as soon as possible.
Issued on behalf of United National Transport Union (UNTU) by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer