City condemns attacks on MyCiTi stations
The City of Cape Town condemns in the strongest possible terms the orchestrated attacks on public transport services across Cape Town. Two MyCiTi stations will be closed for several months after protesters nearly destroyed the infrastructure with bricks, stones, and burning tyres.
Thousands of commuters from Dunoon will be inconvenienced for months after protesters nearly destroyed the MyCiTi stations at Usasaza and Dunoon in the early hours of this morning, 11 February 2018. These two stations serve two of the most popular and busy MyCiTi trunk routes, namely the T01 and T04 to the Cape Town central business district and Century City precinct.
The damage caused by bricks, stones, and burning tyres will be assessed in the coming weeks, safe to say that it will be in excess of a million rand to repair the smashed doors, window panes, and other critical infrastructure before the stations will be operational again.
The motive for the attacks is unknown. That said, it is unacceptable that protesters demonstrate their anger and frustration by destroying costly City infrastructure.
Commuters are advised to make use of the temporary bus stops at the Stables depot in Stables Road, or else, to walk about a kilometre to the Killarney MyCiTi station to board the MyCiTi buses. This will apply until further notice.
I am deeply worried and distressed by the impact of the lawlessness and relentless attacks on scheduled public transport services such as the MyCiTi Service, the Golden Arrow Bus Service (GABS), and Metrorail. The cost to our economy is immense in a time of drought where every cent must be saved and rechannelled to assist with water security.
We cannot tolerate this anarchy indefinitely.
Two weeks ago eight MyCiTi buses were damaged during stoning incidents along the N2 Express routes in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain. GABS’s chief executive officer advised me that several hundred GABS buses are vandalised and stoned each month.
I called for an urgent rail summit that was hosted on Friday, 9 February 2018, to devise solutions that will address the challenges we are currently facing. A presentation from Metrorail depicted the extent of the onslaught on the urban rail service where cable theft, vandalism, and sabotage are a daily occurrence.
I deplore these senseless attacks and criminality. I am pleading with the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to urgently look into these incidents and to do whatever is needed to arrest and prosecute those responsible.
Statement issued by Councillor Brett Herron, Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, City of Cape Town, 11 February 2018
