CAPE TOWN - CABLE thieves have destroyed the Central Line in Bonteheuwel and Netreg leaving gaping holes which are 10 metres deep.
The government has promised to pump R1.4 billion to fix the Central Line in Cape Town.
This week, ward councillor in Bonteheuwel, Angus McKenzie took to social media, stating that thieves had dug 10 metres deep along 100m stretch to get to the cable.
He said that the Central Line should be reinstated.
Sonja Carstens, of the United National Transport Union, (Untu), said they were disappointed that there was no longer a Railway Enforcement Unit to oversee safety at the line.
“The highly effective Rail Enforcement Unit was dissolved more than a year ago. The contract was not renewed.”
She added plans to reconstruct the new line had not taken place after promises were made by national government.
“It has now been almost 18 months since President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in his State of the Nation address in February 2020 that R1.4bn would be given to fix the Mabopane Line in Gauteng and another R1.4bn to fix the Central Line in Cape Town,” said Carstens.
“It was promised that the first part of the plan for the Central Line would have been to build a wall to secure the railway line.
“Still no wall in sight. Nor are there 10 train sets operational on the Central Line from May this year as promised.
“Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula had also promised to secure 3100 Prasa (Passenger Railway Agency SA) Protection Officials as part of a plan for security measures.”
She said the safety of officers were also at risk. “On May 4, 2021, one of the newly appointed Prasa Protection Officials, a member of the United National Transport Union, was shot dead when he was busy patrolling the Prasa Geldenhuys Staging Yard in Germiston in Johannesburg.
“Today, the 8 000 people squatting on the Central Line have not yet been removed despite all the threats from the Minister and Prasa.”
McKenzie said he was disappointed that the Central Line had not been constructed and was now taken over by cable thieves which left huge holes in the ground.
“I visited the Central Line between Bonteheuwel and Netreg Station and it is alarming that (cable thieves) dug holes more than 10m deep for 100m.
“This is unbelievable, sad but not impossible to believe when it comes to Prasa, the amount of promises made to restore the Central Line, and get trains up and running and the committed budgets have all but disappeared and vanished into thin air. This is why the infrastructure is non-existent, dysfunctional and will in all likelihood take a minimum of 10 years to work again.
“I am more convinced as more revelations become known that there most certainly is a concerted effort to place the lives and economic growth of people on the Cape Flats in jeopardy. Our people are now needing to spend more money on buses and taxis to get to and from school and work.”
In February, Prasa spokesperson Bane Ndlovu told Weekend Argus that the reconstruction of the line would be done once the wall was erected.