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Durban -The temporary safety permit issued to the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) will have dangerous consequences, a United National Transport Union (Untu) representative has said.
“It is a disaster waiting to happen,” said Sonja Carstens, Untu’s media and liaison officer.
The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) issued a temporary safety permit - due to expire on August 31- to Prasa after denying its application for renewal.
“The RSR took a decision not to issue a safety permit until it is satisfied that Prasa’s planned interventions address the current safety concerns,” said Madelein Williams, the RSR’s spokesperson.
According to the safety regulator, the temporary safety permit grants Prasa the ability to still operate while giving it “the opportunity to develop robust plans that will address the identified inadequacies”.
Although the RSR did not specify the inadequacies, Carstens alleged the working conditions of the trains were a cause for concern.
“With trains operating from early morning to late at night, seven days a week, it is impossible to do proper maintenance on those 37 coaches and only emergency repairs are being done,” she said.
In January, Independent Media reported that 18 people burned to death in a train crash in Johannesburg.
In April, a pregnant woman was hit by a train and died next to a Camperdown informal settlement.
The national Department of Transport does not believe there is any reason not to support the RSR’s decision.
“There is nothing that authorises the concerns of the union,” said Transport spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi.
“The department has the responsibility to oversee both the RSR and Prasa, and there is no reason not to trust the RSR’s judgment,” he said.
Carstens contended that the department’s intervention led to the issuance of the temporary operational permit while, according to Mnisi, “there was no pressure” and “there is no evidence” suggesting so.
Prasa said it was pleased that an agreement was reached with the RSR because it “will allow the safety regulator to scrutinise the submission for the renewal of the safety permit application”.
Two million people, who Prasa said “cannot afford any alternative means of transportation”, use the rail system daily.
Mnisi said the RSR was expected to issue a report to the department outlining the rationale for the decision by the end of the month.