Some practical suggestions for sorting out the terrible mess Prasa finds itself in

NOW that Minister Fikile Mabula has good intentions of sorting out the problems at Prasa, I would like to throw in a few suggestions.

I have been travelling via Shosholoza Mail on the Cape Town/ Joburg route once or twice a year for the past 10 years, mostly in the “Sitter”.

Thank goodness the selling of alcohol throughout the trip has been stopped through the “vending” system.

In the early years of my travels, unruly behaviour was the order of the day due to the excessive consumption of alcohol. However, illegal selling of alcohol still takes place on stations such as Beaufort West and Kimberley where the train stops for longer than usual. At 7am in the morning, a vendor should not be allowed to get on the train in Kimberley and sell alcohol.

I feel the cafeteria’s prices, run by Prasa staff, are far too excessive. For instance, on my last trip, hake and chips and a small salad cost R95. A breakfast consisting of two eggs, two slices of toast, tea or coffee cost R57. There is no rental to pay for facilities, it is a Prasa facility. At our local shopping centre in Joburg, a local eatery has on its menu hake, chips and a salad for R59 and is probably paying rental to the tune of R15000 per month, or more.

Consideration should also be given to travellers in the Sitter on food pricing, maybe by introducing something like a Russian and chips at a reasonable price.

Then there is the (smelly) problem of no water for toilet flushing on the second day, including no drinking water, no water to wash hands etc.

Besides being unhygienic, this a slap in the face for passengers who have paid, not only to travel from one city to another, but also for the usage of these facilities.

Another problem is the train not arriving at the designated time. This probably would not be the case if the management at Transnet had not bungled their purchasing of new locomotives.

How could they have erred in buying locomotives that weren’t suited to our rail system and which set the tax payer back by 50-oddbillion rand?

They should be made to pay the money back, which maybe would help our country avoid being relegated to junk status.

PATRICK DACEY | Northwold