The Passenger Railway Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is calling on government, stakeholders and communities to assist in the fight against cable theft.

The call was prompted by ongoing criminal activities on railways which have resulted in the loss of lives and derailed trains the agency explained.

“The stakeholders have made a passionate appeal to government to come to the party and provide the necessary intelligence and resources to enable the passenger rail system to implement preventative measures to fight crime,” said Prasa Acting Group CEO, Cromet Molepo.

Last week, Prasa chaired a meeting with stakeholders consisting of the South African Police Service (SAPS), labour unions Cosatu, Fedusa, the United National Transport Union (UNTU), the South Africa Transport Allied Workers Union (Satawu) and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in the Western Cape.

The aim of the meeting was to resolve the challenges faced by Prasa with combatting criminal activities on the railway lines.

Communities must report crime

The railway agency said its efforts to modernise its aging infrastructure, have been hampered by the rampant crime and destruction of rail assets.

CEO Molepo also called on communities to assist the railway agency and report crimes such as cable theft.

“The stakeholders call upon communities to be our eyes and ears and report crime and isolate these criminal elements within our communities. If there is no market for the stolen goods, there will be no need for crime. Those individuals who are brave enough to stand up and make a difference, will be protected,” said Acting CEO Molepo.

Intergovernmental collaboration is key

Molepo further emphasised that this challenge can only be resolved if there is intergovernmental collaboration between all three spheres of government.

At the conclusion of the meeting with stakeholders, it was resolved that a joint Project Steering Committee, which will be chaired by Major General Motlala-SAPS and Molepo, will be established to monitor progress in resolving this challenge monthly.

The Committee will be supported by various task teams.