The demise of Prasa gradually and systematically ensued. It gained momentum and became rapid. We lost stations, rail tracks and eventually operational capability. The result was the complete loss of income, customers and several carriages on vital routes.
When operations were affected, people found it convenient to occupy rail and put housing structures in the middle of rail tracks. Such a situation should not arise again while the country waits with bated breaths on revival of the service.
Inertia will be a sin, given the efforts of the portfolio committee on transport, other oversight bodies and the fact that activists like Loyiso Nkohla have died pleading and encouraging communities to move so that trains could run once more on the Central Line.
The importance of rail is not only about the movement of passengers, but goods. We need to move goods to rail in an attempt to lessen the burden on our public roads. This perhaps calls for a different approach, whose focus will not be on presentations in doing what we do on a daily basis.
That work is going to be a long and hard work but will in the end benefit South Africans, in line with the government’s job-creation efforts and safe, reliable and affordable public transport system. In that regard, the committee processed various bills intended to build a functional portfolio.
The portfolio committee on transport, which I led as the chairperson, needs to be commended. As we speak, new high tech trains were launched in Cape Town this week as one of the commitments the government reported to the committee during 2022/23. The illegal land invasions where communities built shacks on railway lines and open spaces, especially during Covid times, is being resolved.
In looking back, the overall performance of the entities in the portfolio is satisfactory and could have been way better.
Entities should fulfil their mandate, which is essentially and fundamentally to make SA work and contribute meaningfully to development and job creation. Linking people with economic opportunities remains the essence of these entities and the incoming committee should aggressively play the oversight role on these.
MINA LESOMA | Revival of Prasa should continue under new incoming administration
We need to move goods to rail in an attempt to lessen the burden on our public roads
Image: Antonio Muchave
The stabilisation of entities under the transport portfolio is essential and vital for economic growth, and the incoming committee should vociferously continue the work of reviving the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa).
That work should chiefly be centred around aggressively reviving Prasa's infrastructure and train operations on the profitable lanes like the Central Line (Cape Flats) and the Mabopane Rail Corridor (Gauteng).
In December, government successfully started moving 891 people from an informal settlement on the Central Line, a feat that was not generally covered in the news media. Moving communities on the Central Line was one giant leap for the revival of Prasa.
Yes, Prasa is the most troubled entity, but a situation where putting the rail tracks and overhead cables is delayed must not occur, even as we transit to the next administration of parliamentary and government term.
Prasa is responsible for the operations of passenger trains that link millions of poor South Africans with economic hubs and job opportunities. The entity massively relies on reliable electricity supply; hence it was massively affected by load shedding.
As trains continually failed to arrive on time, building up to the elections in 2019, people started vandalising the infrastructure. The outdated signalling equipment suffered, accidents were reported and carriages were burnt in despicable act of selfishness and incivility.
THEMBA SEPOTOKELE | Communicators not celebrating their own shameful
The demise of Prasa gradually and systematically ensued. It gained momentum and became rapid. We lost stations, rail tracks and eventually operational capability. The result was the complete loss of income, customers and several carriages on vital routes.
When operations were affected, people found it convenient to occupy rail and put housing structures in the middle of rail tracks. Such a situation should not arise again while the country waits with bated breaths on revival of the service.
Inertia will be a sin, given the efforts of the portfolio committee on transport, other oversight bodies and the fact that activists like Loyiso Nkohla have died pleading and encouraging communities to move so that trains could run once more on the Central Line.
The importance of rail is not only about the movement of passengers, but goods. We need to move goods to rail in an attempt to lessen the burden on our public roads. This perhaps calls for a different approach, whose focus will not be on presentations in doing what we do on a daily basis.
That work is going to be a long and hard work but will in the end benefit South Africans, in line with the government’s job-creation efforts and safe, reliable and affordable public transport system. In that regard, the committee processed various bills intended to build a functional portfolio.
The portfolio committee on transport, which I led as the chairperson, needs to be commended. As we speak, new high tech trains were launched in Cape Town this week as one of the commitments the government reported to the committee during 2022/23. The illegal land invasions where communities built shacks on railway lines and open spaces, especially during Covid times, is being resolved.
In looking back, the overall performance of the entities in the portfolio is satisfactory and could have been way better.
Entities should fulfil their mandate, which is essentially and fundamentally to make SA work and contribute meaningfully to development and job creation. Linking people with economic opportunities remains the essence of these entities and the incoming committee should aggressively play the oversight role on these.
FRANCIS PETERSEN | Full potential of TVET colleges needs to be appreciated
SA National Roads Agency Limited should be model for all government entities in terms of its project output, governance, profitability and so on. Fundamentally to the lives of victims of road accidents is the Road Accident Fund, whose performance was noted and needed to significantly improve.
The aviation space remains the safest in the world and is effectively and competently operated by professionals. South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), Cross Border Road Transport Agency, and the Rail Safety Regulator also get a pass mark for the work they have done.
As we wrap up this parliamentary term, it is worth noting the central role of parliament once more, in ensuring that citizens are serviced. And serviced they will be long into the future.
Various pieces of legislations had been processed in line with this vision. The only regret, if there is any, is that the committee leaves without a follow-up visit on the destruction of road infrastructure during the KZN floods, and also that the Central Line is not operational from Cape Town to Macassar.
In the end, as a steward of the ship, it’s a pass mark for transport portfolio entities, but there is a lot of room for improvement.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos