South Africa’s railways are broken – now government plans to hire 5,000 security guards and ‘build a wall’

BusinessTech · Nov 18, 2021

South Africa’s railways are broken – now government plans to hire 5,000 security guards and ‘build a wall’

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has announced several measures aimed at protecting the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa's (Prasa's) valuable rail infrastructure, which has been heavily damaged due to theft and vandalism.

Ragnarök · Nov 18, 2021

One of the new initiatives will see Prasa build concrete walls along identified rail corridors and around substations as an additional measure to improve security.

Don't tell the democrats

PaulMurkin · Nov 18, 2021

Wow, we copy Chinese overlords now.... with walls.

HunterNW · Nov 18, 2021

5000 Guards - That will be worthless as a turd watching over it.

Zukat · Nov 18, 2021

Ragnarök said:
One of the new initiatives will see Prasa build concrete walls along identified rail corridors and around substations as an additional measure to improve security.

So one of my friend's businesses is located along the side of the railway line and they have the whole package there- a thick concrete wall 4m tall with electric and barbwire, during lockdown they managed to make a HOLE in it to get inside, convenient passage without even a need to step over. I couldn't believe it until I was on-site and saw it for myself.

TofuMofu · Nov 18, 2021

Fikile does fokol just running his mouth...that's all he actually can do. Meanwhile people can't use the train systems that were in a perfectly working order and extensive coverage across the country.

thestaggy · Nov 18, 2021

South Africa is broken.

Only growing the economy and creating jobs will actually fix this.

I drove through the Jo'burg CBD earlier today. Total wasteland with so many people just idly loitering around in the filth. This is where malcontent and crime fester.

ShaunSA · Nov 18, 2021

The last time someone wanted to build a wall MyBB lost their schit

mojoman · Nov 18, 2021

Build a wall...
Will that be like the 'build a fence' waste of time and money up on the Zimbo border?
(The wall will vanish...brick by brick....New Pink Floyd song..."There was a brick in wall"....)

mojoman · Nov 18, 2021

thestaggy said:
South Africa is broken.

Only growing the economy and creating jobs will actually fix this.

I drove through the Jo'burg CBD earlier today. Total wasteland with so many people just idly loitering around in the filth. This is were malcontent and crime fester.

Plain and simple...Apparent to all EXCEPT the idiots in government....

Sarg3_ZN · Nov 18, 2021

mojoman said:
Build a wall...
Will that be like the 'build a fence' waste of time and money up on the Zimbo border?

They might as well start setting up the commission of inquiry for this new scam

mojoman · Nov 18, 2021

Sarg3_ZN said:
They might as well start setting up the commission of inquiry for this new scam

Lol...ja...get a head start....

Other Pineapple Smurf · Nov 18, 2021

Most effective policing is to get the local community to take a level of ownership and pride. This has been proven with charity infrastructure projects all over the world.

For example, the Firgrove train station outside of Somerset West is now a pile of bricks. The local community did not care, including the Somerset West residents nearby.

I live opposite the Van Der Stel station and we have been proactive in reporting vandalism. While the station continues to be targeted, it has faired extremely well with minimal damage & theft. The security at the station know they can call for assistance from private security and when not on duty, the private security and community will keep an eye on the station.

mojoman · Nov 18, 2021

Zukat said:
So one of my friend's businesses is located along the side of the railway line and they have the whole package there- a thick concrete wall 4m tall with electric and barbwire, during lockdown they managed to make a HOLE in it to get inside, convenient passage without even a need to step over. I couldn't believe it until I was on-site and saw it for myself.

Lol...we have/had a housing project here (stalled since Covid)....They graded in some roads and Eskom put in some hardware such as transformers and switches.....It has a concrete wall...razor wire etc...(and for a while security)...They just dug under the fence and destroyed everything during lockdown....

(Amusingly some months back I found a couple of 20A breakers and a 60A EL thrown in the veld...the idiots had dug up about 3m of cable at a isolated pump house....savaged the DB board and left the contactors and switches etc....

Probably made about R100 on the cable and chucked R2000+ worth of switches and contactors away!)

mojoman · Nov 18, 2021

Other Pineapple Smurf said:
Most effective policing is to get the local community to take a level of ownership and pride. This has been proven with charity infrastructure projects all over the world.

For example, the Firgrove train station outside of Somerset West is now a pile of bricks. The local community did not care, including the Somerset West residents nearby.

I live opposite the Van Der Stel station and we have been proactive in reporting vandalism. While the station continues to be targeted, it has faired extremely well with minimal damage & theft. The security at the station know they can call for assistance from private security and when not on duty, the private security and community will keep an eye on the station.

Also need to make scrap yards as hard to resgister as getting a gun licence here....

Aghori · Nov 18, 2021