WATCH: Ramaphosa stuck on train to Bosman train station

A train from Mabopane train station to Pretoria CBD (Bosman station) has been delayed. The train was carrying President Cyril Ramaphosa, a few ANC officials, and the ANC’s head of elections, Fikile Mbalula, who were campaigning for the party on Monday morning.

The overcrowding inside the train, a reality for most commuters, appears to have dawned on Ramaphosa, who described it as a harrowing learning experience.

“This is very bad,” said Ramaphosa during the delay as he interacted with the commuters to discuss some of their grievances.

Some of the commuters, who had been on the train for almost three hours on a journey that was expected to have only taken 45 minutes, began jumping off the train in an effort to get to their destinations on time. They can be seen walking on the train tracks as the train was stationary on Technikon Rant Station.

Ramaphosa spoke to one of the train conductors in an effort to get some clarity on when the train would move. The conductor appeared to have no definite answers.

Social media was abuzz at the news that the president’s train ride, which was in an effort to beat the traffic, was delayed by more than an hour. They, however, criticised the president for his effort to reach out to potential voters only when it was close to voting season.

Reporters waiting for the president at the Bosman train station claimed they had been waiting for close to two hours.

Meanwhile, Deputy President David Mabuza – expected to take a train from Atteridgeville Train Station – was delayed due to an alleged altercation. A train driver was allegedly assaulted by commuters.

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