A young woman was killed while crossing the railway line in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, yesterday morning.

Kempton Express reports that the scene was attended by Ward 17 councillor Simon Lapping, SAPS and officials from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

Lapping said the tragedy follows a similar incident just over a year ago in which a 15-year-old child was killed at the same location.

“After the last death, I wrote to Minister Barbara Creecy requesting fencing along this line and that services be suspended until it was made safe. Those requests were ignored,” said Lapping.

Criminal case to be opened

Lapping said he intends to open a criminal case, citing dolus eventualis, arguing that authorities were aware of the danger and failed to act.

“There is a Constitutional Court ruling that places responsibility on Prasa to secure and protect its railway lines. Once they were aware of the risk, this was no longer an accident waiting to happen,” he said.

He added that plans for a pedestrian bridge in Rhodesfield have been included in the Integrated Development Plan for the past eight years.

Community calls for urgent safety measures

Community member Ashika Singh Pillay said she was deeply shaken by the incident.

“I was told the victim was a very young woman. She had no identification, so her family may not even be aware that she has died,” said Pillay.

She added that trains continued to pass while the body lay next to the tracks for hours after the incident.

“With a residential area so close to the railway line, urgent safety measures such as fencing or a wall are needed to prevent further loss of life,” said Pillay.

She said repeated appeals to Prasa and the minister have gone unanswered since the railway line was reopened in 2020 without adequate safety measures.

“These deaths could have been prevented. We are tired of being ignored and want those responsible to be held accountable,” she said.

Watch the video:

@kemptonexpress Rhodesfield – January 12, 2026: A young woman was killed while crossing the railway lines in Rhodesfield this morning, January 12. The scene was attended by Ward 17 councillor Simon Lapping, the SAPS, and officials from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA). Lapping said the tragedy follows a similar incident just over a year ago in which a 15-year-old child was killed at the same location. “After the last death, I wrote to Minister Barbara Creecy requesting fencing along this line and that services be suspended until it was made safe. Those requests were ignored,” said Lapping. He said he intends to open a criminal case, citing dolus eventualis, arguing that authorities were aware of the danger and failed to act. “There is a Constitutional Court ruling that places responsibility on PRASA to secure and protect its railway lines. Once they were aware of the risk, this was no longer an accident waiting to happen,” he said. Lapping added that plans for a pedestrian bridge in Rhodesfield have been included in the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) for the past eight years. Community member Ashika Singh Pillay said she was deeply shaken by the incident. “I was told the victim was a very young woman. She had no identification, so her family may not even be aware that she has died,” said Pillay. She added that trains continued to pass while the body lay next to the tracks hours after the incident. “With a residential area so close to the railway line, urgent safety measures such as fencing or a wall are needed to prevent further loss of life,” said Pillay. She said repeated appeals to PRASA and the Minister have gone unanswered since the railway line was reopened in 2020 without adequate safety measures. “These deaths could have been prevented. We are tired of being ignored and want those responsible to be held accountable,” she said.#kemptonpark #kempton #TiktokNews #localnews #kemptonexpress ♬ original sound – KemptonExpress

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.