Metrorail suspends KZN services until further notice

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has asked local government to assure that all its staff and property are safe, after announcing on Monday that all Metrorail services in the province of KwaZulu-Natal will be suspended, reports Northglen News.

This comes after a Metrorail train was burnt to the ground by angry commuters in Umlazi last week.

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The angry crowd not only burnt the train but also vandalised the station, causing millions of rands worth of damage.

Speaking to the Northglen News, Prasa provincial spokesperson Zama Nomnganga said they have met with all relevant stakeholders to come up with ways to avoid a repeat of such an incident.

“This morning we met with the MEC of transport and community safety Mxolisi Kaunda who was accompanied by other security clusters in the province. In our engagements with them, we as Prasa made it clear that we will not resume services until we are assured that our crew and property is protected,” he said.

It is believed that the crowd was angered by the train constantly arriving late.

Nomnganga went on to say they were hopeful that whoever was responsible for the crime should be brought to book.

“We trust that the police will make sure that the criminals responsible for this will face the full might of the law. We also would like to apologise to all our consumers affected by this,” said Nomnganga.

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