How Metrorail cannot assist their commuters

Criminal activity seems to be the reason behind paid parking at Bellville railway station.

“The parking area at Bellville railway station reached a point where criminal activity became the order of the day,” says Marius Wagener from Prasa Cres.
“Drug peddling and theft created an unsafe environment for the commuting and general public parking at Bellville. Prasa appointed a private operator to manage the parking area, with the objective to create a safe and secure parking facility.”

Commuters making use of the parking were charged R600 per month in April and May. After complaints to Metrorail, this was temporarily halted for due processes to be followed. Commuters have since been charged R10 per hour, R40 per day and R600 per month to make use of the parking.
Metrorail in May said it had no knowledge of paid parking. Last week the rail operator said it is not responsible for communicating to commuters any maintenance and construction related matters, that have an impact on their customers.

Wagener says that those making use of the parking where informed on two occasions of the decision to place the parking under private management and be operated as a paid public facility.
The notice is dated 20th June 2017, but Wagener would not comment if one week is sufficient time for a notice where paying for a service is involved, considering they have been aware of it for atleast three months. 
Wagener did not respond to queries to confirm the different pricing options.
“The parking facility is not used exclusively by train commuters, but also local business and the general public,” says Wagener.
“The operator however does not charge different rates for commuters and general public.

Metrorail could also not provide a list of all stations with paid parking. 
When asked if a commuter willing to pay R20 and make use of the parking for two hours but trains are delayed or cancelled and that commuter arrives four hours later at the parking and now needs to pay R60, if Metrorail is saying it cannot assist its commuters.
Spokesperson, Riana Scott, responded “unfortunately yes. I suppose it is similar to parking at the airport and one’s flight is delayed”.

For transparency, the five questions below were submitted to Wagener on Friday 14 July 2017, to which he has not yet responded: 
1. You mention criminal activity and drug peddling that eventually led to this decision. It is an open secret that drug peddling is taking place at Eikenfontein, Brackenfell, Parow and Vasco and those are just four neighbouring stations to Bellville. It is an open secret that Retreat, Netreg, Khayelitsha, Bonteheuwel, Wittebome have the same problem. Yet there is no paid parking to make the environment safe.
In addition to the above commuters from Kuilsriver have been requesting Prasa repeatedly to ensure safe parking at that station and that has been ignored.
Question: what criteria was followed in making this decision and is it because Prasa Cres has offices and your staff, who make use of the parking had complained about the "unsafe" environment?

2. You mention a private operator was appointed, was there a tender out for this and could you give me the dates and publications this was advertised. Can you also confirm that the operator is not related to any senior Prasa official either at Head Office or in the province?

3. The notice (a) has no contact details to confirm that it is legit and (b) is dated 20 June 2017, meaning you only had one week (5 working days) to hand out such notice.
In addition to the above you admit the implementation was postponed in May to 1 July 2017. If decision was thus made in May to implement 1 July 2017, why did it take you almost two months to issue a notice?

4. You indeed correct that businesses in the area also make use of the parking. Businesses however make use of the parking under the bridge and not directly next to the station and Railway Police, where only commuters and Prasa employees park.

5. You mention that the operator is not charging different rates but would appear as if Prasa is not even aware of what rates is being charged. Can Prasa confirm what are the agreed rates per hour, per day and per month and what reimbursement will there be should trains be delayed because of Prasa?

Youth month should stress future possibilities

As the curtain closes on another youth month, I ask myself what remarkable change transpired in the lives of our youth during June?

Celebrations this year took place against the backdrop of several incidents of rape and murder of young children. To make matters worse the majority of perpetrators, if not all, are youngsters. If that is not enough to raise alarm bells, the fact that social challenges have played a role in almost all of these cases is significant.

We have long passed the stage of straightbacked alarm at the news of a rape or murder of a child. By now we should be sitting on the edge of our seats and asking ourselves rather earnestly, “where and when did we take a wrong turn?” Whom or what do we blame? Drug addiction, the drug lord who owns the means of our degradation, the merchants who pass the quick fix from one hand to the next? Or, are we going to blame peer-pressure?

A very good friend reminded me recently that it is tougher being a youngster today than a few years ago.

The youth of today are exposed to peer-pressure on a higher scale, communities with higher expectations from our youth – mainly because there are more opportunities – and then there is the pressure of social media.

As we put filters on our photographs, we cannot seem to do the same with our lives.

I draw the conclusion that changes in life expectations are largely to blame. Our youth are trying to keep everyone happy and to fit in. Very little focus, however, is given to our youngsters as individuals. The individual rather focuses on expectations from family, the community, friends, social media, and so on, but not their own goals, their vision.

The solution looks simple by addressing the challenges and paying attention to individual goals, but is that what we are doing? And what contribution is society, generally, making?

Something that has bothered me for some time now is the fact that we don’t give justice to the thousands of young people who, 41 years ago, stood up for what they believed to be wrong and to make shifts that finally led to a democratic South Africa.

Youth Day, and more still the month, is intended to commemorate the youth legends of yesteryear. But also to look at the challenges our youth battle with today.

Instead of doing this, Youth Day has just turned into another public holiday, an opportunity to drink, to be lazy or to just enjoy sports events.

On Youth Day I posted on Facebook: “I fail to understand why every Youth Day there is this and that sport thing. Sport is not the only thing our youth are good at and not all youths are interested in sport. Let’s not only focus on entertaining our youth but also inform and educate them to be better leaders.”

The more positive comments hold that sport unites, is healthy and promotes team spirit.

I still wonder, though: how many young people actually attend the sports events, and I don’t just mean those participating or are forced to be there.

Besides a certificate of participation and possible trophy, what else did our young people accomplish by the end of youth month?

If we want to address the challenges of our youth, we will have to be more creative than a sports event or two. If all the song, dance and sports are planned better Youth Day can be used to provide an opportunity for our young people to get information to further their studies, employment opportunities and learn more about different industries of employment.

Open days are not only for schools.

It is not only matriculants who need bursaries and do we have a database of unemployed young people in our communities?

Daylin Mitchell, member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, recently said in parliament the youth in our rural communities should be empowered.

What have youth development and opportunities been to young people in rural areas over the past five to seven years? How many cases are there not of an older individual, with more work experience, being employed instead of a young person with a degree, because the young person lacks the work experience? No opportunity is given, though, to the young person to gain the necessary experience.

I agree with my friend the MPL, that if young, previously disadvantaged South Africans aren’t empowered they will remain in a social void.

Youth development, then, is about presenting opportunities for the future, or we fail the Class of ’76.

• Original post appeared as Post Scriptum in Paarl Post of Thursday 6 July 2017

Your vote still more powerful than a picket poster

Sitting on a train on Friday 7 April I ask myself: are we after 23 years still a democracy?

Thousands used the first #FreedomFriday of Freedom month to take to the streets for a protest. You also had to pay close attention to know whether the protest was against state capture, our democratically elected president, firing of a former finance minister or against the governing party.

Maybe best to first mention I am not against South Africans exercising their democratic right to protest, against whatever. 

I also share the view and frustration over a lot of things done by our Commander in Chief. I’ll get back to the protest...

As i started writing this a video of kykNET Verslag popped up on my Twitter feed. The clip was about what is described as the presenter, Waldimar Pelser, venting over the President.

Waldimar makes some daring statements that echoes my question and makes we wonder “do we have media freedom or are we sitting with what some would describe as the ‘white-monopoly capital’ controlling the media

As media we obligated not to be bias and report all sides of a story. Does this however mean that as journalist I am not entitled to have an opinion?

As journalist I am obligated not to be bias. But I am no spin doctor, I am a journalist. Even before becoming a journalist I was a South African citizen. Like my fellow countrymen-and-women I am equal before the law and enjoy the same rights and responsibilities.

We enjoy press freedom in our democracy, but what protection do journalists enjoy for their thoughts and what if those thoughts and opinions are not the same as the majority?

Journalists don’t always receive the recognition they deserve. Many media colleague work in dangerous situations, where we have to take cover as the bullets and bricks fly. We at the receiving end of an auntie swear words or an uncle’s fist.

Is there an expectation from journalist to sit with a mouth full of words and act in the interest of the country? Unlike politicians we took no oath, yet they don’t hesitate to share their opinions.

According to reports approximately 205,000 South Africans countrywide took part in the 7 April protest. This is more than 80,000 less than the amount of votes the sixth biggest party received – and would have gotten you about five votes in parliament.

I did not take part in the protest. Not because I had to work, also not because it is my right not to take part. I did not take part because I am angry and frustrated at the many other things in our country – where many of our elected representatives fail us.

Throughout March nearly daily heard of children not only gone missing, but murdered. Until this hour, our leaders have not called for a day of prayer, let alone a protest.

In Paarl a clinic is being carried away brick-by-brick and with gang violence our elderly can barely go to pension payout points. But these are things we don’t protest about.

I was not one of the 277 members of the National Assembly who voted for the current president in 2009, I was also not an MP when Jacob Zuma was elected unopposed on 21 May 2014 for a second term.

See parliament elects the president and parliament should hold the president accountable and vote the president out. 

That is why citizens 23 years on 27 April, and the four general elections thereafter, stood in long queues to exercise our responsibility in voting for a political party.

We should not be misled to believe that Jacob Zuma will resign because we took part in a Big Walk and said so.

Our task is clear, to hold the political parties accountable to act in the interest of the country.

If the 12 political parties in the National Assembly are unable to hold the government accountable, we should hold them accountable when we make our cross.

Just before the big march Gwen Ngwenya, chief operating officer of the Institute for Race Relations, asked “when will South Africans learn that the ballot is mightier than the picket?”

We use the same argument, one for which I have been described on social media as “a stupid black guy”.

I manage to answer my own question. Thousands could take to the streets, against a democratically elected leader and some swear at him. No one was prevented by the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies to take part – more confirmation at how our democracy has matured.

South Africa is might be heading down hill, but we not there yet. Me being able to write this, you openly criticizing the government and the many protest that will still be held are all confirmation of this.

Should we reach the edge, we can still land on our feet.

We can however not make a U-turn with a poster in the street. We will raise awareness, and indirectly be part of a political campaign for the next general election yes.

See our cross at the ballot box is still mightier than a picket.

• This blog originally appeared in Afrikaans in Paarl Post of #FreedomDay 27 April 2017

Time to walk and talk

I came to the conclusion that #Metrorail is a lot like the church…

Between four walls love is shown and preached, promises are made and everyone seems happy. But like the church, Metrorail shy away from taking bold decisions – decisions that seem unpopular but in the long-run it’s for the best.

Metrorail’s challenges are as open as the environment trains are operating in. Addressing those challenges should thus not be something that drag on forever, but addressed head-on.

I recently called Metrorail Western Cape’s regional management incompetent. While I retract that with this blog, I still hold the opinion that many of the senior managers don’t have a clue of the region they meant to manage.

On the eve of Human Rights Day and just a day thereafter, Metrorail seem to have lost the plot again. Both days I called every single relevant Head of Department and senior manager that led to the Regional Manager leaving a meeting to address issues at the operational centre.

Allow me to pause here and say: yes the Western Cape Manager of Metrorail should be the last man standing, but it is wrong that he everytime be the responsible person doing everyone’s work.

It would appear that Metrorail Western Cape’s Regional Manager and I occasionally think the same way (scary) but we apparently composed similar emails at the exact same time. By the time he and his team received mine, the regional executive were already given their marching orders – similar to my invite to join me on Thursday 23 March 2017 on Cape Town station to show the top management how commuters have to run around due to lack of effective communication.

This is where I thank the men and women, who did what one would expect them to do every day when your organisation is in crisis mode.

Now back to my daring statement…

I won’t go into details on here, but from my engagement and observation it was rather shocking that some of the HODs still tried to make excuses for things that were extremely obvious:

+ Trains displayed on electronic board as being on platforms that have been out of order for nearly a year.

+ Wrong announcements being made

+ Platform changes, without any - let alone effective - communication

+ Cancellations that lead to commuters on certain lines having to wait more than 60 minutes for the next train

I agree with the HOD: Customer Service we need to address the systemic issues. That we do by changing structure, policy and protocol. Taking into consideration that Metrorail was declared being in the ICU in March 2014, one would have thought the systemic issues would be addressed head on by now.

In Metrorail’s defence: many of the HODs are newly appointed – but how long does it take you to get to know your portfolio and all the challenges.

Three things (I can publicly say) from the regional executives visit stood out for me:

+ That it took the Regional Manager to instruct his executive to be on platforms.

Like if you senior management can’t you make that decision on your own and take an hour of your day to go walk on the platforms during peak commute and familiarize yourself with challenges commuters face daily.

+ I was extremely frustrated and angry to observe an HOD not knowing the region.

A senior Metrorail manager did not know even though both Kraaifontein and Strand [and Eersteriver Wellington, Malmesbury, Worcester and Muldersvlei] trains operate on the Northern Line, they different directions and cancelling one will mean commuters of that train will have to wait for the next train going that direction.

+ Another senior manager made the bold statement [that I gave a billion likes to]: “communication is not a priority for Metrorail”

I agree, if communication was a priority:

o   It would not have been a need to instruct the regional executive to walk on Cape Town station.

o   Commuters would know what time and platform their next train is.

o   There would not be simple spelling errors in SMSe sent out.

o   Announcers would not make confusing and wrong announcements

o   Electronic display-boards would display correct information

Metrorail Western Cape’s regional executive took their walk. They saw what some of us have been saying for months is actually true.

I’m thankful that issues are being addressed in the long-term.

It’s now however time to make communication a priority

It’s not time for more apologies and excuses

It’s now time to speak and act

Race vs. Party

Patricia de Lille’s resignation as leader of the DA in the Western Cape sure came as a shock for many. And her reason: to only focus on her role and govern as executive mayor of the Mother City.

In Mother of (only) the City I mention that you never trust everything you being told in politics and that it’s a game of practically anything goes. But now the DA's stronghold province is faced with electing a new leader...

Prior to the announcement end of January rumours have been going around about some trying to get Western Cape Premier and former DA Federal Leader, Helen Zille, to take on De Lille for the provincial leadership at the next congress.

Both De Lille and Zille are known for supporting change and younger leaders. One can thus not be blamed for assuming the two iron ladies reached a truce to allow the young(er) guard to rise.

Front-runners in the provincial race appear to be Acting Provincial Leader, Bonginkosi Madikizela, and DA Cape Metro Chairman, Shaun August.

In a discreet way the two have been campaigning on Facebook.

August’s campaign is highlighting the success of the party in the metro, under his leadership.

Madikizela’s campaign seems to be to get the support of the big guns to endorse him.

Call me crazy but one of the many random thoughts I had was that this is still De Lille vs. Zille – August is one of the former ID leader’s trusted aides and Madikizela once worked in the office of the former Mayor.

Apart from my random thoughts though, from social media it looks like August is leading.

Important maybe to mention the Interim Provincial Leader will be elected by ±120 delegates, of whom fifty percent of the total council comprise members of the Metro-region.

The two politicians are however not the only ones in the race.

Western Cape Standing Committee Chairman for Cultural Affairs and Sport, adv. Lennit Max, is also trying again. The former Western Cape ID leader, without any success, took part in the 2015, 2010 and 2007 race.

Also in the race is the only female, Dr. Arlene Adams, a City of Cape Town councillor. The former academic in a recent interview said: “If you don’t enter a race‚ you lose 100%. For a candidate‚ I have given myself a 25% chance”.

As for being the only female, competing to take over the position previously held by a female, Adams said she taught there would be more women putting themselves forward.

“I am stepping forward as a woman representing‚ embodying those people who do not speak and I am hoping they will understand that’s what the party is about.”

Delegates heading to Worcester will have to ask themselves if they voting for race, to see who crosses first, or for the party.

Just for those coming with majority in the province are coloureds, so a coloured should lead: note that in the North West, Limpopo and Eastern Cape where more than 90% of the population is black, the party leader is coloured (Joe McGluwa) and white (Jacques Smalle and Athol Trollip) respectively.

What is interesting about this election is that the person would possibly only be Interim leader until the provincial elective congress in August 2017 (should he or she not stand again).

The party won’t admit its factions and infighting – like who would – but they there. [And this is not me campaigning] but why not go for a neutral interim leader, who can keep the ship steady until the Provincial Elective Congress.

While the last academic, dr. Wilmot James, ran unsuccessfully for a leadership position, I am tempted to say the unknown dr. Adams could be a safe bet.

To build on the success of the party August, who already proven himself in the Metro-region and is DA Chief Whip in the City council, might not be a bad choice.

One could also argue adv. Max, who is a former provincial police chief, might be what the party needs to address the growing crime rate.

If you want to be traditional though, Madikizela who is also provincial housing minister and elected deputy party leader would be your choice.

Given the campaigning of not only the past three weeks, but months, delegates will have to ask do we vote for the race or the party?

And if the 2016 US Presidential election taught us anything: it’s don’t trust social media, it’s anything goes.

The long walk continues...

Reflecting on #SONA2017 too many people are laughing and describing our parliament as a circus – and that is not because we take the cue from the president, who was laughing…

During the events I had a moment where I had to ask do we still have a democracy and democratic Parliament. 

Like 13 January 2015, the morning after, I lower my head in shame as a South African – this is not the democracy that hundreds of men and woman gave up their lives for us to enjoy.

Facial expressions one got from Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng and former President Thabo Mbeki summed up that the undemocratic events during a Joint Sitting of the two houses of Parliament and should be of grave concern for each and every voter.

Our 490 members of Parliament have privileges on the chamber floor, or so I thought. How many times will we have to view the force removal of democratically elected members? They do represent a percentage of voters – whether it’s 0.8%, 6% or 30%.

 

Julius Malema and his caucus might have valid points, but as pointed out by the Leader of the Official Opposition, Mmusi Maimane, and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Thandi Modise: the joint sitting was not the platform for them. 

Will there ever be a platform? ANC Chief Whip Jackson Mthembu’s point of order sounded like he was heading that way and then he made a u-turn. The former ANC spindoctor left a window open when he mention about “the ability of Parliament to remove the president”.

Given the few failed No Confidence and Impeachment motions I doubt it will happen in Jacob Zuma’s tenure. That makes me wonder do we really have to go through two more SONA’s that has more action than the Action Movie channel.

Whether you like or agree with him or not, Jacob Zuma is President of the Republic – duly elected by the democratically elected 400 members of the National Assembly.

The honourable members might have valid points of order, but until the President – irrespective of the person holding the office – is impeach, citizens have a right to hear (and not view) the State of our Nation.

As citizen and more particularly registered voter my hope and dream now is that our leaders – the Presiding Officers of Parliament will reach a point where they sit with leaders and Chief Whips of all parties represented in the house, along with the Leader of Government Business and the Parliamentary Counsellor to the President and – act in the interest of the country they meant to serve.

There is a dark cloud hanging over our democracy. If I read the last address, our first democratically elected president, the late Nelson Mandela delivered to Parliament [26 March 1999] I cannot wonder if Madiba knew that we would have to cross this bridge.

Tata warned us “the long walk continues. Mooi loop!”

Waar sal my hulp vandaan kom…

Vir sommige is dit nogal iets om te sien wie by die kerk inkom, maar toe maak Somizi die ander dag ’n grand exit uit die kerk. Sy uitstappery is toe boonop oor homofobiese aanmerkings wat ’n gasprediker by ’n diens in Soweto gemaak het.

Intussen is ’n groep kerkleiers ongelukkig oor die nuwe voorgestelde #haatspraakwet. Die godsdiensleiers reken hulle sal nie die boodskap wat God hulle gegee het kan uitdra nie en in besonder, dat om gay te wees verkeerd en sonde is.

Die NGK sê op sy beurt: “Sou die wet toegepas word, kan dit selfs vryheid van spraak en vryheid van godsdiens in gedrang bring”.

In November het prof. Wannie Carstens bande met die kerk gebreek oor die kerk se besluit oor gaylidmate. Hy sê die kerk het hom gedrop. “Wat het geword van die liefdesgebod: Jy moet jou naaste liefhê soos jouself. En ons mag nie voorskryf wie hierdie ‘naaste’ moet wees nie.”

In Brakpan, van alle plekke, weer is daar ’n eetplek wat ’n gaypaartjie verbied het om deel te wees van hul Date Night. Die eienaar sê die rede vir geen gaypaartjies is nie om teen enige persoon te diskrimineer nie, maar om ‘n paartjiesaand te beheer.

Einde verlede jaar het SuidAfrika vir die Amerikaanse pastoor, Steven Anderson, nee gesê om na ons land te kom om gayhaat te preek. Die pastoor het gesê 49 mense wat in ’n gayklub vermoor is, is goeie nuus omdat “die klomp perverts en pedofiele is”.

Daar is egter talle ander godsmanneen vroue hier in die land wat soortgelyke uitlatings maak en die preekstoel misbruik om hul menings as Godswoord te deel.

Onlangs het ek in drie afsonderlike voorvalle gesels met individue wat depressief, ontsteld en hartseer is oor hoe kerkleiers hul posisie misbruik.

Pleks van liefde te preek, word uitlatings gemaak wat die waardigheid van individue aantas.
Ek het op Facebook gevent “geestelike leiers sal nooit die pyn begryp wat hul veroorsaak met die woorde in hul preke nie”.

’n Dominee stuur toe aan my die volgende boodskap: “Ons spreek net wat God op ons hart plaas”. Ek kon nie help om te reageer met: “ek hoop dit is God en nie Lucifer se stem nie”.

In 2016 het ons begin met rassistiese aanmerkings en ons is skaars deur die eerste maand van 2017 en ek wonder of dit die jaar van homofobiese haat gaan wees? Net einde November was dit 10 jaar sedert SuidAfrika die vyfde land in die wêreld en eerste op die vasteland geword het wat selfdegeslaghuwelike gewettig het.

SuidAfrika se Grondwet is duidelik ons almal “het waardigheid en die reg dat dit gerespekteer word”.

Artikel 9 (3) en (4) noem dat niemand direk of indirek onregverdig teenoor enige persoon mag diskrimineer nie.

Die afgelope week was die spertyd vir belangstellendes om insette en kommentaar te lewer op die haatspraakwet. Met dié wet wil die regering sy plig nakom, om gelyke regte te reguleer en diskriminasie te verbied.

Haatspraak word gesien as enige vorm van kommunikasie waar ’n persoon ’n ander persoon of groep dreig, beledig, bespot of skeltaal gebruik.

Laat ons nie doekies omdraai nie, daar is kerkleiers wat preke gebruik om sekere mense te na te kom – of soos ons in die kerkbanke sal sê, pastoor het vandag weer lekker “skim gegooi”.

Uitlatings oor ras, geslag, kultuur of seksuele oriëntasie tas die waardigheid van daardie persoon aan, iets wat veronderstel is om gerespekteer te word. Die einste plek wat ’n veilige hawe moet wees, blyk al hoe meer die plek van oordeel te word.

Ek is een van daardie mense wat in die kerkbanke grootgeword het. Daar het ek geleer dat God is liefde, ons is almal sy kinders en die liefde van Jesus is wonderbaar.

Ek sukkel egter om nou te verstaan waarom ons so selektief is met ons Bybel en sekere verse aanhaal wanneer dit ons pas. Tog vergeet ons van al die ander verse. En dan praat ek nie eens van diegene wat nie eens al 66 Bybelboeke ken nie.

Het God tog nie maar geweet ons sal ook hierdie kruis moet dra, die dat hy sê “roep my aan in die dag van benoudheid”? Steeds kan ek nie help as om te vra “waar sal my hulp vandaan kom?”.

Troos lê daarin dat kerkleiers ook maar mense is, nes ek en jy, gebore in sonde. En ons almal sal eendag alleen voor die Grootman moet gaan rekenskap gee.

My antwoorde vind ek in my wyle ouma se gunstelinggesang:

“My enigste troos in lewe en dood

is dat ek aan Jesus Christus behoort.

Niks sal my ooit van Hom kan skei

– dis my anker, my vaste hoop.”

• Oorspronklike het as Post Scriptum in Paarl Post van Donderdag 2 Februarie 2017 verskyn.