/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Portfolio Committee on Transport has condemned the continued burning of trains in Cape Town and the impact these acts have on the economy. Committee Chairperson Mr Mosebenzi Zwane said the committee denounces this criminality and calls for an investigation into a possible connection between these acts and the scrap metal industry.

Two trains were burnt in the early hours of this morning while parked at the Cape Town train station, impacting on service on the Central Line. “This has happened at a time when the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) needs every resource to restore a reliable service, especially on the Central Line. It is also a time when many summer job-seekers are relying on train transport to travel around the Cape Metro looking for jobs,” Mr Zwane said.

“A huge number of our people who are dependent on trains for normal daily commuting are left without an alternative option and a significant number who still have an ambition to find employment are frustrated.”

The committee calls on law enforcement to move with speed to investigate the burnings and cable theft-related crimes. “Prasa is bleeding because of these crimes and poor communities are worst affected. It is preferable that the service is restored fully and timeously with job-seekers in mind. These are the people we need to think about,” Mr Zwane said.
 

Issued by the Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Transport