Transport Minister Dipuo Peters says infrastructure development is the catalyst for job creation, economic development and ultimately improving the quality of life.

“Government has taken a decision to prioritise infrastructure development as this is the foundation for socio-economic development,” she said.

Peters was speaking at the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) level crossing awareness campaign at Stellenbosch in the Western Cape on Thursday.

Since 2008, 21 people have been struck by trains in the vicinity of Du Toit station. However, the exact number of those who were struck at the informal crossing is unknown, but may constitute a large percentage of the 21 cases.

She said government is committed to working with all stakeholders, including the RSR, to ensure that there is safety and compliance at all level crossings across the country.

The Minister vowed to make sure that there are fewer vehicles and people who cross railway tracks. She said the fines that are issued for reckless and negligent driving are supposed to curb incidents on railway tracks.

“We are concerned about the continuous incidents that occur at this crossing, which are mainly attributable to motorists’ behaviour.

“We have noted the incidents at level crossings are at a high level and can lead to fatalities. The main reason for these incidents is that motorists and pedestrians fail to adhere to safety precautions.

“We have noted that during the off-peak period, the frequency of trains is low, leading people to disregard and neglect rail rules,” she said.

Peters said the level crossing has a boom that automatically drops when a train approaches. However, incidents still continue to take place due to reckless and negligent behaviour of motorists, who go around the boom or try to beat the boom and the train.

The Kayamandi community in Stellenbosch uses Du Toit station, which is about 700m – 1km away from the township.

The community has now established an illegal level crossing on the line. Most of the children from Kayamandi attend school in Cloetesville and they travel alone to school or with their peers and make use of this illegal crossing line.