Dear Minister,
On 1 August 2016 while your Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) trains where one again delayed, a horrific incident that occurred on platform 2 of the Cape Town Station when a man was attacked and robbed. A fight broke out when the commuter was trying to protect himself against a robber.
I do not know how often you use trains to travel since you became a politician, but if you still do you would know that the Police Office is a stone throw away from platform 2, but yet no police ware on scene, despite desperate screams from commuters for help. The train driver also tried to break up the fight but to no avail.
The robber disappeared only to come back with his mate armed with a knife. The mate was waving the knife around amongst commuter’s. A security guard got stabbed in the face, but still the police did not react to the scene. Commuters were running and screaming like crazy.
Minister, it is no use constantly pleading with Prasa to provide the United National Transport Union (UNTU) with answers. The company simply pulls up its shoulders and say that there is no money in their budget to ensure the safety of our members, their staff and the commuters. Prasa rather spends R2.6 billion of tax payer money on an irregular tender for locomotives.
Therefor Minister UNTU would like to know from you what are you going to do to prevent these criminals from getting onto the station? Do they just get a free pass through the ticket gates or do they come in from the other end of the station? There just seems to be no control. The various violent crime incidents over the past month just in the Western Cape clearly indicates that the safety of your voters, the commuters and our members are at risk.
I am disappointed Minister to see that there is barely any visible security or police on the platforms especially at month-end times when our members and commuters are travelling home with their hard earned salaries. The security and police are also missing in action when trains are delayed and there are hordes of commuters on the platforms waiting for a train.
Because there are no police or security to refrain commuters from overloading carriages, passengers are squashed to their limits when trains are delayed. Commuters are desperate to reach their destinations but something needs to be implemented to prevent this overcrowding on the trains.
Minister why can’t a system be implemented that when trains are delayed the police and security must be on standby to prevent commuters from overloading and to urge them to wait for the next train? Are they not supposed to be deployed at the platforms?
Minister as the largest and oldest trade union in the transport industry UNTU realizes that Rome was not built in a day. The Union are not expecting miracles but we have a duty to our members to ensure that you adhere to their Constitutional rights by providing a safe working environment for all.
UNTU supported you Minister when you warned the board of Prasa in June that they must get their house in order and accused them for failing to turn
around the ailing state-owned company. Since then the union waited patiently for you to fulfil your political duties during the municipal election the past week.
But now Minister UNTU pleads with you to get back to the basics and meet with this Union and its affiliated federation, Fedusa, to discuss urgent steps that needs to be taken before more people are killed and attacked on our railway lines and at our railway stations.
We are awaiting your urgent response.
Regards
Steve Harris
For enquiries phone Mr. Harris on 082 566 5516.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer. For UNTU Press Releases e-mail sonja@untu.co.za or phone 082 463 6806.
