Press Statement dated 22 December 2018
The United National Transport Union (UNTU) is shocked and revolted by the blatant sabotage of the Richards Bay coal export rail line and demand that the criminals must face the most severe sentence that the Criminal Matters Amendment Act allows for if they are caught.
“UNTU is extremely shocked to see that criminals have so little disregard for the lives of our members and for our crippled economy, that they will remorseless set out to destroy families and the prosperity of the broader South African public.
“The Union condemn this horrific act in the strongest possible terms and appeals to the South African Police Service (SAPS) to leave no stone unturned to ensure that these criminals are caught to that the law can take it cause,” says Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU.
The SAPS are investigating a case of sabotage after the Richards Bay coal export rail line was on Thursday cut in half with a blow torch, causing the derailment of 51 wagons carrying coal.
UNTU also appeals to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to start charging criminals damaging essential state infrastructure with the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, 2015, which the Union and its affiliated federations, the Federation of Trade Unions of South Arica (FEDUSA),fought hard for at Nedlac, the statutory body where labour, business and other constituencies of civil society formulates law before it is presented to Parliament.
“The Act states that any person who unlawfully and intentionally tampers with, damages or destroys essential infrastructure or colludes with or assists another person in the commission, performance or carrying out the activity and who knows or ought reasonably to have known or suspected that it is essential infrastructure, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a period of imprisonment not exceeding 30 years. Where the State can prove a corporate body is involved, the Act allows for a fine not exceeding R100 million,” says Harris.
According to Harris UNTU is grateful that the train crew involved in the incident was not injured. The line will unfortunately remain closed for an indefinite period. Transnet has declared force majeure on the coal shipment, meaning unforeseeable circumstances prevented it from fulfilling its contract.
On 20 December Transnet announced that its intern profits have fallen sharply on the back of the weak economy and higher finance costs.
“This derailment will have a devastating negative blow on the State-Owned-Enterprise (SOE) who is under the leadership of Dr Popo Molefe, the Chairman of the newly appointed Board of Transnet, trying to unravel just how deeply rooted the state capture of Transnet is.
“Although this will indeed be a Black Christmas for Transnet employees, the Leadership of UNTU would like to assure members of the Union that this incident will not impact their job security or their wage increase of 7.1% come 1 April 2019. In terms of the wage agreement signed by Transnet and Organised Labour at the Transnet Bargaining Council (TBC) earlier this year, the Employer is not allowed to retrench any permanent appointed employee of Transnet and its employees will get a 7,1% salary increase in 2019 and in 2020,” says Harris.
Issued on behalf of United National Transport Union (UNTU) by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer