Torching of trains remains a mystery

ONLY 37 of 88 trainsets currently transport about half a million commuters in the Western Cape.

This means there are now more trains out of order, than trains moving on the tracks.

Many were damaged the past three years in train fire incidents.

Metrorail has since October 2015 in nearly 30 separate incidents lost a shocking 146 train coaches.

The organisation #UniteBehind reckons there is reason to believe a syndicate is behind all the fire incidents.

“The attacks are well planned and executed and there is never any arrest,” says Matthew Hirsch, a spokesperson for the civil rights organisation.

Ricardo Mackenzie, member of the Western Cape standing committee on transport, says: “Clearly there are individuals out to cause pandemonium.”

His colleague Cameron Dugmore agrees a syndicate is a strong possibility.

Dr. Blade Nzimande, national transport minister, on Friday viewed the damages to the trains and literally scratched his head when he said there are many motives for the torching of trains.

Steve Harris, general secretary of the transport union Untu, says overcrowded trains and delays are worsening by the second.

“Those behind the torching of trans are taking bread from the mouths of families.”

After the past two fire incidents – only ses days apart – questions are being asked if it is not politically motivated. It however appears as if no one is willing to address the elephant in the room.

Hirsch mentions: “the slow progress with investigations mean the motives remain a mystery.

“It is highly likely that the deeds are committed by state capture networks.

“The recent kidnapping of Khanyisile Kweyama, chairperson of the Prasa Board, should also not be seen in isolation from the train fire incidents.”

In only the past 6 weeks 23 train coaches were destroyed.

Richard Walker, regional manager of Metrorail, says after last week Saturday’s fire on Cape Town station, a carriage at the same station was discovered with petrol spilled all over the seats.

Mackenzie says: “The sabotage of so many trains is a clear indication commuters and trains are not safe.

“This can only be resolved with more security on stations and in trains.”

According to a safety report of the rail safety regulator 69% of all railway-safety-related incidents are theft.

“Compared to 2015/2016 there has been an increase of 13% in safety-related incidents and 14% in the amount of deaths, that are directly linked with an increase in crime,” reads the report.

Nzimande says there are no plans to call in the army, for this problem.

“Prasa spends alot of money on security, but we don’t get any value for our money.

“To safe guard trains does not only mean carriages, but also the lives of commuters.

“The Cape Region is now a priority and a taskteam must report back by end of August with proposals for solutions.”

Sibusiso Sithole, group chief executive office of Prasa, says plans were to bring new trains to the Western Cape in 2019. After the torching of trains the past week he says those plans are now being reconsiderd.

HONEST

#UniteBehind says Prasa already admitted to them that there are no plans to bring new trains to the province in the next few years.

“Torching of trains cannot be used as excuse. Prasa should be honest if they want to restore commuter confidence,” says Hirsch.

On social media commuters are fed-up for “Metrofail”.

The Western Cape and in particular Cape Town, is without a safe, effective and reliable rail transportnetwork, experiencing it’s biggest challenge yes, means Dugmore.

“The current service is a threat to employment security. Thousands arrive late for work and people pay more to travel.”

Mackenzie says he is not just happy. “I am angry!

“If I am disappointed by the service I have alternative means. There are thousands who don’t have.

“Staff at stations are uninformed and some irritated to help commuters. Just in the week I asked how delayed my train would be and was told: ‘it’s coming, just wait.’

“Metrorail should not wait for everything to go wrong before they communicate with commuters.”

• This article originally appear in Afrikaans in Son op Sondag of 29 July 2018

Trains delayed due to upgrade

Train buddies should brace themselves for a lot of delays still – until the entire rail network has been upgraded.

In August 2017 Metrorail admitted to the Western Cape Provincial Parliament overcrowded, delayed trains is going to be with us for some time still.

“Experience has shown the inadvertent impact of migration to new technologies to have sporadic service failures,” explains Riana Scott, spokesperson for Metrorail.

This all is apparently part of the commissioning and testing new technology.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) started months ago to replace the old systems with new electronic systems.

Work started on the Southern or suburban line, while work on the Monte Vista line is done by Transnet.

“The project is implemented in phases, with the southern line about 65% complete,” says Scott.

In October 2017 former transport minister, Joe Maswanganyi, announced that R9-billion is made available for the upgrade of the rail network in the Western Cape.

He also mentioned the first project which is the re-signalling project, that at the time was in its third year, is a five-year project at a cost of R2-billion.

Scott was asked what the estimated cost per phase and line is. She however only responded: “the re-signalling in the Cape Region is estimated at R1.2-billion.”

It also appears as if Metrorail have no idea why their trains are late.

Since the start of the project there has been a significant increase in not only delays but also the time you wait on a train and wait in a train between stations.

According to Scott signal- and/or power failures can be attributed to a range of causes and not only because of the current re-signalling work.

“It can be from tampering with fibre-optic to problems with migration of technology. Where migration is incomplete, a fail-safe handover is done from ‘old’ grid to ‘new’ system. This is like manual authorisation, where there is no automated signalling.

“With migration of new technology, it also happens that the electronic notice boards are not aligned to real-time movement of trains and don’t reflect the correct information. This is currently the case with the electronic boards on Cape Town station.”

Metrorail was asked when re-signalling work would commence on the other lines, with the understanding Northern Line is next. The rail operator was also how many train stations have functional announcement systems and how many have loud-hailers. After 4 days, Metrorail still failed to provide such a list or make one public.

Scott did respond per email that she was in a workshop on Tuesday and would respond by Wednesday. At the publishing of this there has still been no response.

It’s understood the workshop Scott is referring to was in fact a two-hour meeting with a civil organisation regarding safety on the central line.

A source who attended the meeting says: “there was a presentation and a lot of answers, but no progress.”



This was originally published in Afrikaans in Son Koerant on Friday 15 June 2018. Click here for link: Diens lol oor werk 

#LoadShedding stages and schedules

Mother of the Nation

Mam’ #WinnieMadikizelaMandela a tribute I have been trying to write for over a week now. I am stuck at #MotherOfTheNation, because saying more would be saying too much and saying less would be saying too little or nothing.

Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela-Mandela you not the Mother of the Nation because you were married to the Father of the Nation, Tata Nelson Mandela.

A mother is someone who loves her children unconditionally, is caring, compassionate but a fearless fighter to defend them.

Mama Winnie was this mother. When the fathers of our nation were incarcerated, it was the mother of our nation who stood up for her children, who took care, showed loved and who was a fearless fighter against injustices.

While we will never know, nor fully understand the pain and scars she had to endure, we can rest assure she never cried to show them she is weak or crack to show she gives up and for that #WinnieMandela won the fight against apartheid.

Her departure comes not only in the year that the world will celebrate the Centenary of Father of the Nation, or 25^th commemoration of the killing of Chris Hani but also in the month and time that many other big trees have fallen: Solomon Mahlangu, Chris Hani, Oliver Tambo, Ahmed Kathrada and, days after Mama Winnie, George Nene and Zola Skweyiya.

The timing of Mama Winnie’s passing is also interesting for me as it is:

- In the month the Group Areas Act was passed,

- 60-Years since the National Party won a general election with a whites-only electorate

- In April 1992 the Mandelas announced their divorce

- It was also in April 2003 that Winnie was convicted and sentence to five years in jail, but Appeal Court changed the sentence to a suspended one, of three-and-a-half years. Despite maintaining her innocence, she was forced to resign from all political positions.

All these events is perhaps the universe telling us why we will never forget the Mother of the Nation.
Lala ngoxolo Mama Winnie

This video is a letter by Mrs Graca Machel, wife of the late Tata Nelson Mandela, to whom she calls Her Little Sister

No, Prasa, you not the victim

“Prasa can only lie and should stop playing the victim”

These are the two things stuck in my head after a recent meeting of the parliamentary portfolio committee on transport.

On the agenda was the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, briefing members of parliament on the current challenges commuters face daily and safety aspects.

Halfway through the meeting and the chairperson gets up, turn her back to the meeting where I’m seated and says: “Prasa is lying”.

And then Dikeledi Magadzi, MP, walked out because neither she nor any of her colleagues are getting any answers to their questions.

Upon her return, just before the end of the meeting, Magadzi said “Prasa don’t listen. "They get 48 hours to report come back after 14 days with the same plans that says nothing.”

Prasa had nice big words, but that did not impress MPs.

I am still not sure if I am shocked or disappointed in Prasa’s presentation.

They considering mini-operational centres at stations, to improve communication to commuters.

Some of the other plans is to keep commuters informed with SMS notifications and use social media more effectively.

As a commuter myself it was traumatizing to sit and listen to the presentation.

I’m not sure on what delayed train that presentation came, but Prasa clearly has no idea what is happening around them.

I’ve been a commuter since my varsity days and back then already we received SMS notifications. Announcements at stations probably came with the stations. And social media, well this has been used for nearly five years now. BTW: I was the first person to use the hashtag #TrainReport in 2013.

Prasa did admit people are suffering, arrive late and are given warnings at work and this because Metrorail cannot deliver the service thousands of commuters deserve.

Now if you know this, what are you doing to change it?

One of the big guns mentioned about some law or policy. To be honest he lost me, because I prepared myself to hear about this or that plan.

Luckily one of the MPs came to my rescue when he stopped the Prasa-manager and said: “We not here for a workshop, go give it to Prasa employees. We want answers and plans that will ensure a safe and reliable train trip for commuters”.

Prasa should be ashamed at their presentation, where they play the victim.

With unemployment in the Western Cape at 19.5% people are literally clinging to their job. But Metrorail is sabotaging everyone’s job security.

Employers also don’t believe the excuses that trains are late every day.

In January Prasa blamed an increase in crime, lack of investment in passenger rail transport and the cost of modernisation.

Two Prasa board members then admitted things look impossible and there is no alternative plans to assist commuters.

The worst is probably that Prasa officials don’t even sit with a “we apologise for the inconvenience” expression.

Original piece appeared in Son of Friday March 9^th 2018: Read Here

A caucus divided

Patricia De Lille is not the first person the DA asks to take off the Mayoral Chain. Once upon a time Peter Marais was axed as UniCity Mayor. This move was defended in the papers with a half-page advertisement and the case went to court. Minutes before a council meeting the court ruled the DA broke the law in axing Marais and saw the Mayor sliding into the council chamber.

Back then the DA said it wanted Cape Town to be a shining example to the rest of South Africa, but that under Marais’ leadership it had been dogged by crisis, controversy and scandal.

Fast-forward to the present and we are watching the sequel, this time Patricia de Lille is the Mayor. For some reason this make me think about Ghostbusters with Dan and Billy, and the sequel with Melissa.

One of the differences between the two though is that whether Patricia takes off the mayoral chain or not, the DA has a divided City of Cape Town caucus.

Although caucus meetings are closed, council meetings are open to the public and from the gallery you can clearly see the cracks in the caucus.

At the time of writing this the DA requested an Special City Council meeting for a Motion of No Confidence in the Mayor and the party laid criminal charges against Patricia de Lille. The criminal charges come after a businessman handed an affidavit to the party, making allegations of corruption and bribery against De Lille. This relates to allege attempts by De Lille to solicit a R5 million bribe.

The MONC, to be debated on 15 February, will be the second. A previous motion by the ANC was withdrawn at the eleventh hour. That happened as the DA caucus got the green light from their federal leadership to support it.

The decision by the Fedex comes after a caucus meeting with a majority vote recommended to the party higher structure that the caucus support a motion in the mayor.

This after councillor Mercia Kleinsmith requested an urgent caucus meeting to discuss a motion of no confidence in the Mayor.

The motion was motivated “all indications are that the party and its structures, the public and this caucus has lost confidence in the mayor to lead this city”.

The meeting with 152 members of caucus present concluded with 8 abstaining, 1 spoilt ballot and 59 votes against and 84 votes in support of a motion.

Taking another step back, days before Christmas the DA announced a subcommittee “found sufficient management and governance-related challenges in the DA’s City of Cape Town caucus”. As 2018 started DA leader Mmusi Maimane announced the party is formally charging Patricia de Lille, with the party’s Federal Legal Commission. This comes despite the party selling its good story the past decade. She is also accused of alleged misconduct for

1. Acting in a way that impacts negatively on the image or performance of the party
2. Failed to carry out duties and responsibilities set out by the standards required by the statutory rules required by the public office.
3. Bringing the name of the party in disrepute
4. Acted in an unreasonable and detrimental manner
5. Unreasonably failed to comply with or rejected decisions of the official formations of the party.

Prior to all this De Lille resigned as DA Western Cape Leader in January 2017. At the time she said it is to focus on only being mayor. Back then I wrote in politics it is anything goes. I also mentioned as Mayor of the Mother City she might lead the biggest DA caucus, but she’s not the first to be a government and party leader.

The resignation came days have she announced a newly revamped Executive Mayoral Committee, with four mini-mayors and a deputy now without a portfolio.

Whether Patricia de Lille is acquitted on the charges or not, both internally and the criminal charges, service delivery in the Mother City is in the hands of a divided governing party. From the 152-member caucus 84 councillors will be happy not to see the first citizen return, or disgruntled that she is returning.

While the party is not addressing the division, one need to ask if the Mayor takes off the chain will there be a push to remove the 59 who supported her. The same question can also be asked if she gets to keep the mayoral chain, if there would be a push to demote or remove the 84 councillors.

We should also not forget the 9 councillors who did not vote and 2 who were absent (on leave). Will they make their alliance known or continue to play neutral?

What if from the 84 or 59 councillors had a change of mind?

The DA’s Federal Congress is taking place later this year, in little over a year we will have a general election and campaigning will kick-start in a few weeks. The DA is determined to win enough votes to be the national government. Before all this the party would want to consider working on unity to say #BetterTogether.

Considering political parties are dependent on votes, it does not take a lot to know the Patricia-saga will cost the DA votes. Insiders say the party’s own polls even suggest this.

Let’s also not forget there is the possibility of a court challenge by DA MPL Lennit Max, after losing the provincial leadership and now citing vote rigging. The courts could order a re-run of the provincial congress.

The party leader took political control over the biggest crisis a DA government has faced. Someone should perhaps advise Mmusi Maimane to allow the experts to ensure we have water. He should perhaps, before all the votes dry up, want to focus on the tension and division within not only the City of Cape Town, but caucuses where the party governs.

You might also be interested in: Own Goals & DA confusion

Own Goals...

Own goals, that could hurt the DA at the ballot box. Those the words of many senior party members in reaction to the ongoing saga surrounding Patricia de Lille.

In a previous blog, DA Confusion, I said you not alone if you feel confuse about the charges against the Cape Town Mayor. Well now we know the charges [see bullets i to v below] but developments since then would appear as if some are jumping the gun [skip to the conclusion if you cannot wait].

Earlier this week the Western Cape High Court ruled Mayor Patricia De Lille be allowed to attend City caucus meetings when matters of governance are discussed, after parties involved reach an agreement. (see bullet d below)

This ruling comes a day after JP Smith returned to party activities and on the same day party leader, Mmusi Maimane, said he would the next day [Wednesday 24 January 2018] announce a multi-disciplinary programme of action to deal with the management of averting ‘Day Zero’ [water crisis].

Maimane then launched and said he is personally taking responsibility for #DefeatDayZero. The DA leader who said he is taking political control also announced a Drought Crisis Team, that notably excluded the Mayor of the first City in the world to possibly run out of water.

Why mention this, because hours after this launch the DA City Caucus held a special meeting discussing the Mayor’s fate.

On Sunday councillor Mercia Kleinsmith requested an urgent DA caucus meeting to discuss a motion of no confidence in the Mayor.

“There are simply too many worrying matters, actions and press releases that are in contradiction with DA policies and values. All indications are that the party and its structures, the public and this caucus has lost confidence in the mayor to lead this city,” Kleinsmith motivated the motion.

A five-hour marathon meeting concluded with 152 of the caucus members voting: with 8 abstaining, 1 spoilt ballot and 84 votes in support and 59 against it.

The City of Cape Town Council has 231 seats. A majority of 116 votes is needed for the motion to pass.

The caucus decision now goes to the Federal Executive for consideration but the green light might not be given before the next council meeting on Wednesday 31 January 2018 – where an ANC sponsored Motion of No Confidence, that was handed in last month, will be tabled.

De Lille reportedly says she is not worried about the decision.

“The party has to decide on that. It is not council, it was the DA’s caucus meeting. I am still the mayor of Cape Town and I can only be removed by the full City of Cape Town. It does not say anything.”

While councillors are constitutionally allowed to table such a motion it is important to note DA candidates for Mayors; deputies and speakers are selected by a selection panel pending the approval of the FedEx, before the relevant caucus formally nominate and vote for such candidates.

Perhaps good to remind ourselves that in especially the last two elections DA leaders travelled across the country selling the good governance and corruption free City of Cape Town. “Where we govern, we govern well,” is what we were told. Ironically the person leading the well-run City is now accused of serious allegations by the very same council she is leading.
Patricia de Lille is also charged by her party for alleged misconduct for

1. Acting in a way that impacts negatively on the image or performance of the party
2. Failed to carry out duties and responsibilities set out by the standards required by the statutory rules required by the public office.
3. Bringing the name of the party in disrepute
4. Acted in an unreasonable and detrimental manner
5. Unreasonably failed to comply with or rejected decisions of the official formations of the party.

To take another step back, late in 2017:

(a) A public war of words broke out between the Mayor and a member of her mayoral committee, JP Smith. At the centre of the spat is the disbanding of the City’s special investigation unit – that resorted under Smith.(b) Smith also wrote a letter to party leaders, that leaked to the media, mentioning speculation of unauthorized security alterations at Patricia De Lille’s home.(c) An official, Craig Kesson, implicated the mayor in serious allegations concerning two senior staff members. Read Affidavit(d) Patricia De Lille and JP Smith were both placed on special leave from all party activities – this included from attending caucus meetings. Read Statement(e) Prior to a DA federal executive meeting where Patricia De Lille’s submissions on why she should not be fired, Federal Council Chairperson James Selfe told City Press “it is not whether the mayor has done anything right or wrong. The issue to decide on is whether the DA has confidence in her and her ability to run the city and to manage the caucus”.“If a decision is made that De Lille should resign and she refuse, we will have to instruct the DA City caucus to support a motion of no confidence,” Selfe added.

 

It could be all a coincidence that the #DefeatDayZero launch, De Lille’s exclusion from it and her caucus voting to support a motion against the mayor all happened on the same day.

What does boggle the mind – considering everything above – is that the DA caucus might have jumped the gun and with their vote declared Patricia de Lille guilty (of the allegations against her) and decided on her punishment, before there has even been a judgment, let alone a hearing.