Cape Town - After a third train was set alight near Retreat station this week, making it the sixth train to be torched in the past six weeks, Transport Minister Blade Nzimande visited the site on Friday.
He announced he would prioritise train vandalism in the Western Cape.
Nzimande, along with Western Cape transport MEC Donald Grant and City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron, held a walk-about at the Paarden Eiland PRASA Depot in Cape Town, to view damage to the trains after a spike in arson attacks in Cape Town.
Transport Minister Blade Nzimande, Transport MEC Donald Grant and Mayco Member for Transport Brett Herron visited the Prasa depot to inspect the gutted trains. Video: Athina May/Cape Argus
Nzimande said the Western Cape has the worst incidence of train vandalism.
“Prasa spends a lot of money on security but it looks to me that they’re not getting value for their money. I have decided that we must prioritise Cape Town, it's clearly the worst situation.
Train carriages were set alight at Retreat railway station. 2 Fire Engines, a Water Tanker and Rescue Vehicle plus 14 Firefighters were dispatched. Photo: Armand Hough / African News Agency (ANA)
“Perhaps we can prioritise it to use it as a pilot for these situations. We’ve decided that the transport division must come to the Western Cape. We also want to listen to communities. Not just their problems, but their ideas on what must be done,” said Nzimande.
The United National Transport Union (Untu) slammed the latest attack on train infrastructure.
Transport Minister Blade Nzimande said the priority is to secure the trains and its passengers. Video: Athina May/Cape Argus
“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,” said 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, Untu called on Police Minister Bheki Cele to appoint a task team to probe what it termed "ongoing arson attacks.
@IamAthinaMay
athina.may@inl.co.za