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Mbalula told parliament that the railway passenger agency PRASA was up against organized crime syndicates sabotaging the railway network, which its new security plan aims to address.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula speaks in the Western Cape lekgotla taxi in Cape Town on October 15, 2020. Image: @ MbalulaFikile / Twitter
CAPE TOWN – Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said Tuesday “the jig is over” when it comes to theft, vandalism and sabotage of the country’s commuter rail system.
Mbalula told parliament that the PRASA passenger rail agency was dealing with organized crime syndicates sabotaging the rail network, which its new security plan aims to address.
He said that the culprits should face the full power of the law and that damage to rail infrastructure should be viewed as economic sabotage rather than simple theft.
Mbalula was responding to the National Assembly debate this afternoon on the impact of the destruction of rail infrastructure.
Mbalula asked time for the deliberate destruction of the rail network that millions of travelers, and the economy as a whole, needed for reliable and affordable transportation.
“The jig is over. Train fires, theft of signal cables, theft of tracks, damage to stations, and theft of equipment not only paralyze service for the poor, but create an unsustainable situation in which the taxpayer pay the bill for their replacement. damaged infrastructure “.
Mbalula said safety-related incidents per million train kilometers traveled have increased by 175% since 2013/14, and by 20% between 2018 and 2019, from just over 7,000 incidents to 9,000.
“The harsh reality is that safety-related incidents in the railway environment are out of control and need urgent attention.”
This included PRASA’s security plan for internal security guards, armed response, drones for aerial surveillance of critical infrastructure, and the wall of key corridors such as Cape Town’s central line and Gauteng’s Mabopane line.
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