Mbaks’ head must roll – as locos don’t

If Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula hoped yesterday’s press briefing and photo opportunity would give people a sense that things are about to happen in the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), then he was sadly mistaken. All he did was confirm the outrageous extent of incompetence and neglect by ANC-deployed cadres, which has resulted in the near destruction of what once was a public asset which made South Africans proud.

Even worse, though, his intention was to toss responsibility for the security of the Prasa infrastructure to local communities. In launching the People’s Responsibility to Protect project in Pretoria, Mbaks said: “We need to get the trains back on the tracks.

“Everything has been broken and now we are fixing it.”

Absolutely true, Minister. And the reason for the disaster is you and your useless comrades. During the lockdown, hundreds of millions (if not billions) of rands in Prasa infrastructure was looted and destroyed at stations around the country. Copper wire was taken, rails were ripped up and station buildings and platforms were vandalised.

And why did this happen? Because you, Minister – the man ultimately responsible – did not ensure that Prasa put in place adequate security arrangements. And now you want ordinary people to do it for you?

There has been little or no progress in the R172-billion Prasa modernisation project, which was launched in 2014. By 2019, only one out of 135 “priority stations” were upgraded. The Covid-19 lockdowns slowed that snail’s pace even further.

While Mbaks has been inordinately proud of the new commuter trains being built locally under licence, he ignores the reality that many stations are not open to them because of vandalism. Even worse, many station platforms have to be modified because the trains are too high.

Instead of photo calls, Minister, work on your resignation letter.