Spore het hoop, maar bied nie kitsoplossings

Dit is nou al amper 40 minute en daar was nog nie eens ’n aankondiging nie. Die treine is al weer laat. Dit raak nou ’n gewoonte – treine is meer laat as wat dit betyds is. Kommunikasie is ook nie een van Metrorail se sterk punte nie, want glo dit of nie – met al die treinkansellasies is daar nog meer treine as aankondigings.

Op die platform wonder ek wanneer kom die verdomde trein, want ek het klaar ’n kaartjie gekoop. Ja, dit is hoe duisende pendelaars baie keer voel en dit is iets wat duisende daagliks in die gesig staar.

Ek raak nou moeg van die gewag en ek weet nie of daar iets gaan kom of nie. Wag, laat ek iemand bel.

Die daaglikse stryd en frustrasies van pendelaars is weens wanbestuur en korrupsie, maar ook swak of eintlik geen beplanning.

Die huidige diens kan jou nie ’n trein wat betyds is verseker nie. Jy is wel verseker van ’n oorvol trein, en nadat jy gesukkel het om in te klim moet jy oor die uitklim begin worry.

Vir dié wat nie treinry nie – dit is iets soos stoei se royal rumble.

Treine op die Wellingtonlyn is met meer as 60 minute laat. Die probleem is glo ‘low overhead power’ tussen Huguenot en Soetendal. Ek is ook herinner daaraan die die spoorlyn tussen Stikland en Wellington en verder aan Transnet behoort.

Dis die ander probleem. Metrorail huur slegs die gebruik van die lyn, maar enige herstelwerk en onderhoud is die verantwoordelik van Transnet.

Net onlangs was daar ’n passasierverwante voorval by Brackenfell. Wellington treine moes via Stellenbosch ry, en dié tussen Kraaifontein en Stikland is aan hul eie genade oorgelaat. Dit was nou totdat ’n kontrole-operateur van Transnet op die toneel gekom het om enkellynwerk te begin. Dis maar net die operateur wat self elke trein van ’n sekere punt tot by die volgende neem.

Ek dink nou – ironies genoeg het ek vroeër vanjaar aan Metrorail se streekbestuur genoem dat hulle meer aandag aan die “vergete” lyn sal moet gee en selfs voorgestel dat ’n senior bestuurder die verantwoordelikheid vir kliëntediens op die lyn gegee word.

Sien, Metrorail het een areabestuurder wat verantwoordelik is vir die sewe stasies tussen Wellington en Muldersvlei. Die aankondigingstelsel en/of luidsprekers by talle van die stasies werk nie, of dié waar dit nie werk nie het nie draagbare luidsprekers nie of daar is nie ’n personeellid om sy of haar lewe te waag en aankondigings op die platform te doen nie.

Wat my dikwels grensloos irriteer is “make use of bridging transport” – net mooier bewoording vir “kry alternatiewe vervoer”.

Dit het my een oggend só op die spore gedryf dat ek Metrorail se kommunikasiebestuurder moes WhatsApp en vra kan hulle nie eerder sê “regrettably Metrorail has no buses available and commuters are advised to arrange their own transport”.

Hoe ironies dat ek dit nou juis in vervoermaand moet noem, want nie net word baie min tot geen aandag aan veral openbare vervoerdienste in landelike gebiede gegee nie, maar baie van die landelike gebiede het geen openbare vervoerdiens nie behalwe vir taxi’s wat jy dalk net tot 18:00, of as jy gelukkig is 19:00, gaan kry.

Kort voor sy aanstelling het die minister van vervoer, Joe Maswanganyi, in ’n parlementêre portefeuljekomitee sy kommer uitgespreek dat Metrorail so baie huurgeld aan Transnet betaal.

Met sy besoek vroeër die maand aan die Kaapstad-stasie saam met Prasa se groepbestuurshoof, Lindikhaya Zide, moes ek net vra wat gedoen word om beter kliëntediens en kommunikasie aan pendelaars op die Wellingtonlyn te verseker.

Metrorail probeer al geruime tyd spore wat aan Transnet behoort, oor te neem. Sake het al só gevorder dat ’n verslag op die tafels van die twee betrokke ministers lê.

Zide het in reaksie gesê Prasa en Transnet gesels oor die oordrag en ander tegniese aspekte en hoop om binnekort ’n aankondiging hieroor te doen.

’n Dag later kondig die Stad Kaapstad weer sy voorneme aan om die bestuur – eintlik die begroting – van Metrorail oor te neem. Terwyl sommige jubel en juig oor die moontlikheid, is dit belangrik om te weet huidige wetgewing, en die nasionale ontwikkelingsplan, weerspreek dit.

Die Stad Kaapstad het ook geen jurisdiksie oor die ander ses munisipale grense waardeur Metrorail ’n passasierspoorvervoerdiens lewer nie.

Ek kan egter nie help om te wonder watter soort diens my medependelaars van Malmesbury, Klapmuts, Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington, Hermon, Saron, Riebeeck, Ceres, Tulbagh en Worcester sal kry nie.

Hoeveel langer gaan hulle moet wag as dit ’n kontrakteur is wat treine in daardie gebiede bestuur of as daar ’n voorval is? Die stad is dalk nie die oplossing nie en hoe langer Transnet daarmee sloer, hoe langer wag ons.

Ek besef nou ek is buite Kaapstadstasie. Die foutiewe punte of seine êrens by Soutrivier of Woodstock of waar ook al is reggemaak en my trein trek amper 30 minute laat op Kaapstad-stasie in.

Hoewel daar hoop is, blyk dit geen kitsoplossings is op ’n Express-trein vir my en my mede-pendelaars op pad nie.

• Hierdie Post Scriptum opinie het aanvanklik in Paarl Post van 9 November 2017 verskyn.

2019: status quo vs. change to unite

 On Monday 6 November 2017 the governing party in the second largest municipality – and thus biggest constituency – in the province elects a new leadership.

This internal election is the first since the 2016 local government election. Following that election the party not only became the first political party to win a consecutive local government election in Drakenstein, but also increased their vote with nearly 10%.  

In 2016 the DA increased their support in the Paarl East – coloured – area, especially Chicago, Amstelhof, Nederburg, Denneburg. The DA also took two ANC stronghold wards, Gouda and Simondium with 60 and 62% respectively. It however did not show any major increase in so-called “white-areas”. In Wellington the DA’s support took a dip in most of the wards.

Above statistics are important if one considers the candidates contesting the internal election. Both candidates for chairperson are from the Paarl-East area, while those standing for deputy are from Wellington and Northern-Paarl. Two of the candidates vying for secretary are from Mbekweni and the other from Paarl-East. The treasurer position is the only uncontested position and incumbent, Gert Combrink – who also happens to be the DA West Region Treasurer – will return for another term.

There appears to only be one slate, with all other candidates campaigning as individuals. Considering the 2016 outcome and party’s targets for 2019, the expectation is that the party would focus at having a more diverse team on local level, representing all the areas of the Constituency. For some time now the DA’s been trying to make inroads in Mbekweni. Having two of three candidates for a position from the area will most likely split the votes from Mbekweni. Two of the three standing for secretary are former activist and first time councillors and the third a former ANC Councillor, with more political experience than her competitors. My expectation from any secretary is also to atleast be able to spell or use spell-checker. From her campaign post though it would appear as if this is a weakness of one of the candidates – she even managed to get the names and titles wrong of those on her slate.

The competition for deputy chairperson is between a “veteran” and an activist. What delegates might want to consider is where the two candidates campaigned during the 2016 local elections, the DA’s support dropped in the area the one campaigned and increased in the area the other one campaigned. Both seem committed to the cause; just one is on a slate and the other not. And that will either turnout to be good or bad.

Perhaps important to remind oneself the DA believes in freedom, fairness and opportunity. It also preaches separation of party and state. Some examples are during Helen Zille’s term as party leader in Parliament Sandra Botha, Athol Trollip, Lindiwe Mazibuko and Mmusi Maimane occupied the role of Parliamentary Leader (Leader of the Official Opposition).
In the Western Cape with Helen Zille leading the provincial government, Theuns Botha, Ivan Meyer, Patricia de Lille and Bonginkosi Madikizela was party leader.

In the City of Cape Town Helen Zille, Dan Plato and Patricia de Lille led the local government, while Grant Pascoe, Shaun August and now Grant Twigg led the party in the metro.

The race for Chairperson is always interesting, and it becomes even more interesting when one of the candidates is a woman. 

Note despite Helen Zille’s successful tenure as party leader, the DA has not exactly broken the glass ceiling for woman leaders in the party. 

Delegates will have to vote between incumbent Chairperson, Conrad Poole, and outgoing Secretary, Wendy Philander.

I have the privilege to have gotten to known both candidates – both caring individuals, who want to make the world better. Both I gotten to know before they became councillors, ironically ward councillors. I saw the election of Conrad during a by-election and Wendy in 2011. During their term as ward councillors both worked hard and people of their wards still hold them in high regard – because both continue to work hard for the people they serve.

Both candidates have used each opportunity that crossed their path.

Wendy, current DA Women’s Network Chairperson, was also part of a Swedish exchange program for woman in local government – something I still think Drakenstein should, but they not, use to their advantage. She served one term on the executive mayoral committee, in the key portfolio of housing.

Conrad was recently elected as DA West Region Deputy Chairman and on the provincial executive as additional member. He’s in his third term as councillor and current executive mayor.

Conrad’s campaign is based on the success of the party under his leadership. The party grew from receiving 32% of the vote in 2006 to 66% in 2016, not without teething problems.

Wendy’s campaign is based on the party’s mission of Freedom, Fairness & Opportunity, creating a platform to develop the next generation, making progress together.

Doing research for this blog it became evident that the party is very much divided. This week DA founder Helen Suzman would have celebrated her centenary. Will Drakenstein’s gift to her be that the status quo is enough to carry the party to 2019 or will the party heading towards 2019, change; unite and develop to increase its support?