The long-awaited City Rail Enforcement Unit was officially deployed during a special ceremony hosted by Minister of Transport, Blade Nzimande. At the launch, he promised that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) had pledged to work on its infrastructure extensively to ensure that its commuters experience better rail service.
He added that although President Cyril Ramaphosa had recently launched a multibillion-rand train manufacturing factory in the Gauteng province, the new trains would not be brought to the Western Cape until the plague of train fires stopped.
The introduction of the specialised unit comes after a report conducted by the Railway Safety Regulator shed light on the crimes reported by Prasa.
The report stipulated that 50% of the malicious damage to the tail industry was reported by Prasa. It also showed that out of the 73% of personal safety incident reported at train stations, 42% originated from the Western Cape.
Picture: Supplied/City of Cape Town