The SA Transport & Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has added its voice to a list of organisations condemning the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) about its alleged reluctance to improve safety in trains.
Over 200 passengers were injured and one died when two trains collided between Kaalfontein and Tembisa on Monday.
The transport union said it had been trying to secure a meeting with Prasa to discuss safety in trains.
“It is truly tragic that this accident comes after Satawu’s national passenger rail coordinator‚ Tinzi Lubabalo‚ and Fulltime Shop Steward‚ Jabulani Khumalo‚ have for some time been attempting to secure a meeting with the general manager and executive responsible for health and safety at Prasa with no success.”
The union said Prasa was supposed to convene a health and safety meeting once a quarter at a national level and monthly meetings at a depot level.
“There hasn’t been a meeting held this year‚” Khumalo said.
Satawu is now demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of the collision.
The union said it was a “known fact” that Prasa’s infrastructure was outdated and in need of an upgrade.
“We are aware that the modernisation project was put on hold due to various issues. We urge Prasa to finalise these to ensure no more lives are lost unnecessarily.”
Earlier on Monday afternoon‚ The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) said it had warned Prasa last year that an deadly accident was inevitable should it fail to upgrade its rail and signalling infrastructure.
“We complained to Prasa early [last] year when lives were lost in a collision between two trains in Denver‚ Johannesburg. Nothing was done to improve the rail condition‚” said party spokesperson Kenneth Mokgatlhe.
Commenting Monday’s crash‚ ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said paramedics from their company‚ along with numerous other services‚ arrived on the scene and found that the two trains had collided head-on.
“Numerous occupants had already begun to climb out of the train and were now scattered around the scene‚” Meiring said‚ adding that the final injury toll was 242.
— TMG Digital
Transport union calls for probe into deadly Tembisa train crash
The SA Transport & Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) has added its voice to a list of organisations condemning the Passenger Rail Agency (Prasa) about its alleged reluctance to improve safety in trains.
Over 200 passengers were injured and one died when two trains collided between Kaalfontein and Tembisa on Monday.
The transport union said it had been trying to secure a meeting with Prasa to discuss safety in trains.
“It is truly tragic that this accident comes after Satawu’s national passenger rail coordinator‚ Tinzi Lubabalo‚ and Fulltime Shop Steward‚ Jabulani Khumalo‚ have for some time been attempting to secure a meeting with the general manager and executive responsible for health and safety at Prasa with no success.”
The union said Prasa was supposed to convene a health and safety meeting once a quarter at a national level and monthly meetings at a depot level.
“There hasn’t been a meeting held this year‚” Khumalo said.
Satawu is now demanding a thorough investigation to uncover the cause of the collision.
The union said it was a “known fact” that Prasa’s infrastructure was outdated and in need of an upgrade.
“We are aware that the modernisation project was put on hold due to various issues. We urge Prasa to finalise these to ensure no more lives are lost unnecessarily.”
Earlier on Monday afternoon‚ The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) said it had warned Prasa last year that an deadly accident was inevitable should it fail to upgrade its rail and signalling infrastructure.
“We complained to Prasa early [last] year when lives were lost in a collision between two trains in Denver‚ Johannesburg. Nothing was done to improve the rail condition‚” said party spokesperson Kenneth Mokgatlhe.
Commenting Monday’s crash‚ ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said paramedics from their company‚ along with numerous other services‚ arrived on the scene and found that the two trains had collided head-on.
“Numerous occupants had already begun to climb out of the train and were now scattered around the scene‚” Meiring said‚ adding that the final injury toll was 242.
— TMG Digital
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