“Enough is enough. The United National Transport Union (UNTU) demands that the South African Police Service (SAPS) adheres to their Constitutional mandate to protect the citizens of South Africa, including employees working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), uphold and enforce the law and maintain public order.”
This is the reaction of Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, after another female train driver is extremely traumatised after her train cabin was stoned by a mob of angry commuters who threatened to kill her and torch the train while she was ordered to wait at a red signal for a goods train of Transnet Freight Rail to pass.
Gugu Phakathi (38), who has been working for PRASA for the past 16 years, told Harris she was on the Durban/Stanger route early in the morning when she was informed to bring the train to a halt so that it can be repaired.
Soon afterwards she continued the route, but was ordered to stop at a red signal so that the goods train of Transnet can pass her train.
“The commuters were furious because they were already late for work. They wanted to know from me why the goods train cannot wait for them to get to work. The commuters instructed me to pass the red signal, but I tried to calm them down and told them that I cannot do that because I would be endangering their lives,” said Phakathi.
According to her, an angry mob of commuters got off the train and verbally abused her. Another group of commuters tried to gain access to her cabin, but she locked herself in.
“When they could not get to me, they started stoning the cabin, threatening to kill me and torch the cabin. I was not sure if it was stones raining down on the cabin or gun shots. It sounded like gun shots. I was so traumatised, and I was crying, but I managed to phone the office and begged them to send the protection services to rescue me.”
After the protection services took the angry mob away and helped the remaining commuters onto another train, they saved her from the cabin.
“I was in such a state, I could not continue driving the train. They helped me to do the necessary paperwork so that I can be referred for trauma counselling.”
According to her, this was not the first time that she was threatened by commuters, but it was by far the worst.
“There are commuters who realise that you are also just doing your job and have no control over which train can pass first, but this morning nothing I said could calm the commuters down,” said the single mother of two minor children.
She requested UNTU to appeal to Transnet not to force passenger trains to wait at red signals for goods trains to pass during peak hours when commuters need to get to work.
“This practice of Transnet creates a very dangerous situation for the metro guards and train drivers of the PRASA train who has to deal with the fury of commuters,” said Phakathi.
According to Harris the Union and its affiliated federation, FEDUSA, did approach Transnet chief executive Siyabonga Gama, about this last year. Gama ensured them that passenger trains were given preference.
“Unfortunately, Gama’s reassurance is denied by our members on ground level. We will therefore approach Gama once again to establish why his instructions are not followed through with,” Harris said.
For more information phone Harris on 082 566 5516.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer. For UNTU Press Statements phone 082 463 6806 or e-mail sonja@untu.co.za.
