Calls for construction of railway project gain momentum
TWEEFONTEIN - A horrific bus incident along the R573 Moloto Road nearly three weeks ago has intensified calls made on government to construct a railway line connecting Pretoria and KwaMhlanga in the Thembisile Hani Local Municipality.
Six people burned to death and 14 more were injured when the bus in which they were travelling caught fire on June 4. The bus was carrying more than 60 passengers from Pretoria to Tweefontein on the notorious Moloto Road.
The incident served as a harsh reminder that something needs to be urgently done to save lives on this road, on which hundreds of commuters were injured and others permanently disabled over the years.
The road stretches over 160 kilometres, connecting Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
The Passenger Railway Agency's R34 billion rail corridor was projected to reduce travel time and save lives as commuters were moved off the Moloto Road, and to create jobs and development through the building of 13 new stations linking Mpumalanga and Tshwane.
Concerned residents have staged protests at the Union Building since last year, demanding government to deliver on this promise.
“Government is presiding over genocide, because if they had implemented what they had promised the people since 2014, today we would have been talking about a greater infrastructure project that created many job opportunities to deal with unemployment and improving the socio-economic conditions of our people. Instead our people do not have that; what they have is a road that is killing them,” said community leader Sam Masango.
The Manala Mgibe Traditional Council also called on the government to prioritise the rail project. “Over the years we have seen many of our people losing their lives on this notorious road,” said Prince Thulani Mabena of the council.
“We call on government to urgently solve the issue of Moloto Corridor. We cannot continue to lose lives and breadwinners in this manner.”
Victor Kumeswana, an economist, said government is obliged to deliver on the promise. “It has to be done. It should not be something we should argue about. When you look at the volume of traffic on the road and the number of people on both sides of it, the people of KwaNdebele and surrounding areas who work in Pretoria and commute daily, and the people who live in Pretoria and work in those areas, this justifies the need for the rail project.”