PRASA REACTION TO DA ALLEGATIONS

In a statement released today, the DA made allegations that train carriages managed by Shosholoza Meyl were commandeered by the ANC for their centenary celebrations.

Yesterday, the trains to and from Port Elizabeth were affected by power failure as a result of a panto hook-up of a goods train. The incident happened approximately 150 km from Port Elizabeth. No train could pass the affected area. Passengers from Port Elizabeth were transferred by buses to Noupoort and proceeded to board the train from Johannesburg where it was waiting, and it returned to Johannesburg.

The train from Port Elizabeth returned to Port Elizabeth and is still standing there waiting for the line to be cleared.

We reject the allegations as baseless and devoid of fact. Neither passenger, nor goods trains are currently running on the affected section of the line as the line has not been cleared for the running of the trains. Transnet has advised that the line may be cleared by 19h00 on 7 January 2012.

All Shosholoza Meyl scheduled trains are running as scheduled and have not been affected by the ANC's centenary celebrations. The trains despatched to Mangaung are being run on a commercial basis as chartered trains.

"PRASA is deeply disappointed by this allegation by the DA. Mr de Freitas has direct access to PRASA and it would have been preferable if he had contacted us to verify the facts before going public with unsubstantiated facts. PRASA has entered into a commercial arrangement with the ANC like any other request from any other organisation that requires the services of PRASA for either buses or trains," said Lucky Montana, PRASA Group CEO.

Statement issued by Lawrence Venkile, PRASA: Rail Operations, January 8 2012

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