All good deeds are not good

This is an open letter to the URCSA Wellington Presbytery

25^th February 2019

Chairperson & members

Brothers and Sisters

URCSA Wellington Presbytery

Greetings in the name of my Creator and Saviour.

In life I’ve learned not all good deeds are good and that some can cause more harm than good. Allow me to from the onset state I could not care two flies what you as Presbytery do or don’t do, as my God and I have a solid healthy relationship.

I’ve received numerous messages though, from LGBTQI young people within the Presbytery.

It firstly takes courage for any person to type a message to reach out. Secondly no cry for help should just be ignored. It is with the above background that I’m directing this communique to you.

In an open letter to the church in October 2016, myself and three fellow URCSA-members, wrote: “As members of URCA we are concerned at the churches prophetic voice towards LGBTQI congregants and community.”

We further asked: “The church in love and the spirit of the Belhar Confession not to let LGBTQI-members suffer any further.”

Prior to the above I wrote in an opinion piece: “Apart from the conservative view the church will always hold, you cannot help to ask yourself why it takes the church – who preach love – to show love. The answer is that the church must act church orderly, within ecumenical rules.”

As per my social media accounts I initially thought the panel discussion the Presbytery is planning for Thursday is something good. Having viewed the poster of the panel discussion I am deeply offended, insulted and ashamed.

I take offence in the use of the term “homoseksualisme”. In no formal or informal documentation of URCSA is this term used. It also has a negative connotation, that was used some years ago as part of hate-speech. The term itself and the use thereof creates the impression that the organisers and thus the Presbytery, and one can interpret the panel (unless a correction is made by them) have a preconceived opinion that homosexuality is wrong.

I’ve previously asked the numerous (waste of time) URCSA Commissions how many of the panel members are gay/lesbian or have immediate family who is?

If none, my interpretation is that your panel will share textbook experience.

Following the tragic events at 13:30 on Saturday 8^th October 2016 at the 7th General Synod of Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa, one of the members of the first URCSA Homosexuality Task Team, made the following remark: “URCSA has no testicular fortitude in leading the church on the LGBTQ-matter and therefore finds all kind of excuses for not pronouncing on it”.

Friends in Christ allow me with due respect to have the testicular fortitude to tell you that your approach is unconsidered; disrespectful; offensive; just plain wrong.

You are proving the stories of Angelo, Theo, Carlton, Ashwin, Astrid, Belinda, Lindsey, Victor and many others will thus never be told or heard.

If you ignore everything above, take this to heart: ill-advised actions have led to suicide. It is often not what is said but what not and how not. Many of you will never grasp the pressure and depression LGBTQI-persons sit with, just viewing your ill-advised poster. As Christian my plea is let's stop homophobia and not contribute to it. 

Be bold, be brave, be leaders.

You friend in Christ

Earl September

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.

Metrorail not always to blame

November 2015 will be known as the worst three weeks for Metrorail since the double derailment at the beginning of 2014. Early in November the rail operator announced a section of the Northern Line would be closed for critical maintenance work to be done. 

Ten hours before that section was due to open, I asked - on the WhatsApp group that I have since been removed from – if maintenance work is still on schedule. I was told a section manager is on duty. 

At 9pm I cautioned Metrorail – in the Whatsapp group – that there is no way a normal service would operate that Monday morning and that all possible contingency measures be put in place without any delay.

Sadly and to the biggest inconvenience of thousands of commuters, Metrorail only realised that Monday morning, too late, trains will be delayed. The failure by Metrorail to act sooner and implement better contingency measures led to not only everyone arriving late at work, but many students unable to write their exams.

I wrote to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters stating that the continuous errors are unacceptable. “My email is not a plea to discuss matters in a boardroom but to implement solutions and take action without any delay”. I also asked the minister to request a detailed report and if it shows any wrong doing corrective action being taken. Now this is where I commend the minister for her speedy response and for requesting that report from Prasa. I wish to also apologize to the Prasa Group CEO and Metrorail Regional Manager for changing the agenda of their scheduled meeting.

Thursday 12^th November, Regional Manager, Richard Walker, took two trains with me. Even though he travelled undercover to assess the service for himself, the RM also engaged with commuters. While we both agree it is wrong and dangerous, as a commuter himself he understands why some commuters would keep a train door open. He understands why people smoke on a platform but says Metrorail cannot disobey the law of the country that smoking in public is illegal.

Our second train was delayed by a few minutes and in the ten minutes we were at the station there were no announcements. The Regional Manager called the Acting Customer Service HOD to inform him there are no announcements. He also questioned electronic boards not working, why loud hailers are not used and other issues – some of which have been addressed and solutions implemented, like platform 1 being used at Bellville.

Walker says for some things there are explanations but Metrorail should be honest about the service and not make excuses for it. Communication and customer service is not negotiable; these are things that should be in place. On the train itself we walked through the carriages, with Walker making mental notes since he arrived at the departure station. And to those wondering: yes he bought a ticket at his start station and handed it in at the destination station.

Sadly the rest of the Regional Manager’s management team does not see the importance of them taking a train and engaging with commuters when the service is critical and commuters experience massive delays.

The minister has since received her report and I have been shared some of the content. 

The massive delays the past three weeks is thanks to Transnet who take forever to do maintenance. 

Transnet has not prioritized maintenance work to be done between Paarl and Kraaifontein, repairing vandalism and stolen cables. Have to state though Transnet being centralised is the reason for the delay. One should welcome the maintenance done at Bellville but criticize Transnet for not communicating with Metrorail. 

Had there been better communication between the two SOE’s that Sunday afternoon, things would not have been chaotic the Monday morning.

While Transnet should be held accountable for this month’s chaos, minister Peters and her Public Enterprises counterpart, Lynn Brown, can apply corrective measures. They can do this by approving the transfer of the lines from Bellville to Wellington and Bellville to Strand from Transnet to Metrorail. This will allow Metrorail to not wait on Transnet but do repairs without any delay.

On the interim the solution is what I identified and suggested more than a year ago: better communication to commuters, different Metrorail departments to work together and communicate better and for better communicate to, with and from Transnet. Note the latter should come from Ministerial level and not regional level.

Currently goods trains get preference between Wellington and Bellville and this have on many occasions led to delays of commuter trains when the goods trains fail in section.

Things that neither Metrorail/Prasa nor Transnet will admit though is that money speaks and Transnet will get preference as they generate more income than Prasa – even if every single person in the overcrowded train have a valid ticket.

So what is the solution? Government will have to decide what is more important: freight or people. What should be kept in mind when answering the question is that the thousands of commuters on trains contribute towards the economy and every minute many of us are late, not only do we lose out on income but our employers lose out on production and the economy ultimately suffers.

Metrorail is not always to blame, but Metrorail should take responsibility for their customers and account.