Fikile Mbalula hopes Prasa’s newly appointed security officers will curb vandalism
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says he hopes the insourcing of over 3,000 security officers to guard the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (Prasa) infrastructure will be a turning point to getting the railway agency back on track.
Prasa loses millions of rand due to cable theft and vandalism.
In many instances, this results in trains being out of service or fatal crashes.
On Wednesday Mbalula launched the government’s ministerial security plan to curb the theft and destruction of railway infrastructure.
Over 3 100 PRASA security personnel have been in-sourced.
The Security Plan that is multi-disciplinary, involving other departments in the justice, safety and security cluster.
We will protect PRASA infrastructure against unprecedented levels of vandalism. #FixingPRASA #mbalula pic.twitter.com/hZZJikrcg3
— Minister of Transport |Mr Fix (@MbalulaFikile) September 16, 2020
When copper cable thieves strip railway stations, the metal is melted in laboratories and shipped overseas to a specific market where the copper is high in demand.
The transport minister said in many instances, these syndicates work with Prasa employees.
“The criminals and the syndicates are not working alone. I am not thumb sucking. We find that on a daily basis in terms of the operations throughout the country.”
Thousands of commuters are also impacted by cable theft and vandalism as it makes the trains unreliable and late.
Mbalula said he hopes this plan will help the rail agency to provide a better service to its customers.
-EWN
In other news – Cassper Nyovest wows Social Media with cute photos of him & sweetheart Thobeka at hospital
If happiness was a person, surely no one would be besides Mzansi hip hop rapper Cassper Nyovest who right now is on cloud nine of joy due to various marvelous things taking place in his life. ‘Why not flaunt it when you have it’, is exactly what he is going about lately.
He welcomed his newborn baby a few days ago whom he shares with a beautiful sweetheart Thobeka Majozi and happiness is all over their faces. Not only the baby, his latest studio album #ANM (Any Minute Now) released on the 11 of September which, Learn More
