Minister Blade Nzimande arrives in Cape Town to address spate of train fires

27 July 2018 8:16 AM

Transport Minister Blade Nzimande is in Cape Town to see first hand the destruction caused by a recent spate of train fires.

Transport ministry spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi says Minister Nzimande will do the walkabout at the Parden Eiland depot to view damages to Prasa's infrastructure sustained during arson attacks in the City.

The Minster will later in the day meet with various stakeholders including unions, City officials and the MEC Donald Grant to address issues within Metrorail in the Western Cape.

Read: R30 million lost in Saturday's train fires in Cape Town

The Minister will be able to make pronouncements to decisions he will be making regarding the services in the Western Cape.
— Ishmael Mnisi, Transport ministry spokesperson

If there are any grievances against Prasa in the province, they must be raised in proper channels created by our Constitution and legal framework. There is no justification for anyone to vandalise private or public property, this is indeed a criminal act and nothing else.
— Ishmael Mnisi, Transport ministry spokesperson

MEC of Transport in the Western Cape, Donald Grant, says there is training currently underway of about 150 individuals who will be deployed in identified hot spots within the city to provide protection on trains.

He says this is an initiative between the Western Cape government, City of Cape Town and Prasa.

I just want to appeal to everyone out there of what the future looks like with the new trains.
— Donald Grant, MEC of Transport in the Western Cape

There is a real threat that if we don't stop burning the trains, we not going to bring those new, fantastic trains here if this is the rate that they are going to be burned.
— Donald Grant, MEC of Transport in the Western Cape

We have to change our attitude and work with what we've got until the new infrastructure is deployed in the system.
— Donald Grant, MEC of Transport in the Western Cape

To hear the rest of the interviews regarding train fires, listen here:

This article first appeared on CapeTalk : Minister Blade Nzimande arrives in Cape Town to address spate of train fires

Written by: Lengwadishang Ramphele