It is a sad day for millions of commuters and the 16 000 employees working for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) as this parastatal simply refuse to engage on concerns about their safety.
The office of Transport Minister Dipuo Peters admitted to the United National Transport Union (UNTU) that PRASA Board, appointed to oversee the efficient management of the passenger railway operator, has not responded to her on crucial security issues raised with her office by the Union.
According to Eddie de Klerk, Deputy General Secretary of UNTU, the Minister asked the board in a letter to respond to the safety and security within our rail services. She requested PRASA to engage with other stakeholders and come up with a mitigation plan. The minister is still awaiting a response from PRASA, more than three weeks after her special advisor, Joe Mojapelo, promised to respond to the Union.
“It is clear that the management and board of PRASA are under the impression that they are accountable to nobody even if they are continually mismanaging taxpayers’ money. The parastatal has become an embarrassment for the South African government who can no longer turn a blind eye to this deteriorating state of affairs, “says De Klerk.
UNTU is currently in the process of considering the possibilities of bringing a court application against PRASA to ask the court to force the company to step up security measures.
For more detail phone Mr. De Klerk on 082 567 .6638.
Issued on behalf of UNTU by Sonja Carstens, Media and Liaison Officer. For UNTU Press Releases e-mail sonja@untu.co.za or phone 082 463 6806.
