Rail accident deja vu prompts action call
Sanco joins appeal for regular maintenance of signal systems
THE horrific crash that occurred at the notorious Buttskop level crossing in Blackheath has prompted Parliament to seek answers.
The chairperson of the transport portfolio committee, Dikeledi Magadzi, has sent her condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.
“To have lost so many lives of South African workers is disheartening, and in a similar incident that involved unsuspecting schoolchildren some years ago. Agencies within the Department of Transport must move to ensure that such a similar accident does not reoccur,” Magadzi said.
On Friday, seven people died after a bakkie tried to dodge an oncoming train and ignored warning signals. The driver was also killed in the collision.
Magadzi said: “This accident speaks to the need to urgently address the maintenance of rail systems, especially in the Western Cape, but also generally throughout the country. Our systems are collapsing and putting at risk so many lives.”
Metrorail spokesperson Zino Mihi said an investigation was under way.
“Because this accident happened over the weekend, there’s not much our teams can do but an investigation into this will commence this week,” Mihi said.
She said commuters did not need to worry about the accident causing any delays as the service was fully restored over the weekend.
Metrorail regional manager Richard Walker expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims.
“It is a tragedy and we carry the families in our prayers as they deal with the trauma of losing their loved ones,” he said.
A similar accident took place in 2010 when 10 pupils between the ages of eight and 18 were killed while on their way to school.
The minibus taxi transporting them was hit by a passenger train at a level crossing in Blackheath. The driver, Jacob Humphreys, jumped a queue of cars waiting to cross the Buttskop crossing and then attempted to cross the tracks while the booms were down. Humphreys was originally handed a jail sentence of 20 years in December 2011. However, on appeal, it was reduced to eight years.
SA National Civic Organisation spokesperson Jabu Mahlangu urged Metrorail and Transnet Freight Rail to engage communities in assisting with the eradication of tragic and unnecessary incidents by obeying all traffic laws governing rail level crossings at all times.
“Rail crossing collisions reflect fatal statistics which point to a crisis, and by their nature require drastic action and the raising of the collective consciousness of the greatest number of people possible. Signal systems which are out of order must be reported and promptly repaired,” he said.