Drama as Shosholoza Meyl’s Joburg to Cape Town travellers forced to complete trip by bus
Passengers travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town aboard Shosholoza Meyl had to travel the rest of their trip by bus due to infrastructure challenges on the railway tracks.
In a post on X, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) said the train arrived in Wellington despite operational and infrastructure challenges.
“The journey will be completed by bus due to theft of overhead wire cables. Despite these challenges, we remain steadfast in our commitment to revive the long-distance service,” Prasa said.
Prasa further reported that overhead wires were stolen between Kraaifontein and Muldersvlei, affecting the train trip.
“Prasa, Transport, and Transnet Freight Rail will engage on how to effectively deal with the cable theft,” the rail agency said.
Prasa announced the resumption of its Shosholoza Meyl earlier this month. The service resume following a suspension in 2021 due to operational and network infrastructure issues.
In a statement earlier this week, Prasa said reintroducing the service will not be without its challenges.
The service is between Johannesburg and Durban and Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“The agency would like to highlight some issues that may affect the service and outline its commitment to address them,” Prasa said.
Prasa said the country is facing a shortage of locomotives and those available are unreliable.
“This may result in delays and in some cases, even cancellations. Contingency plans are in place for trips on all four corridors where the main line passenger service (MLPS) service operates,” Prasa said.
Regarding infrastructure damages, Prasa said the condition and quality of the infrastructure has been a concern and may impact the travel experience.
“Despite the challenges, Prasa remains steadfast in its commitment to reviving the long-distance service. Prasa plans to ensure access to locomotives and improve the infrastructure quality and availability in conjunction with our sister agency, Transnet,” the rail agency said.
-IOL
In other news – Zamani Mbatha (Khaya) allegedly FIRED from Isitha: The Enemy
Well-known South African actor Zamani Mbatha, who joined e.tv’s telenovela Isitha: The Enemy earlier this year as Khaya has reportedly been dropped.
Entertainment commentator Phil Mphela has announced that talented actor Zamani Mbatha has been let go by popular telenovela Isitha: The Enemy. “Zamani Mbatha fired from Isitha-TheEnemy. Mbatha plays the lead character of Khaya on the etv telenovela. No word on whether the role on the hit show will be recast,” said Mphela. Read More
