President Cyril Ramaphosa now has a great opportunity to appoint a new Transport Minister to Cabinet.

President Cyril Ramaphosa now has a great opportunity to appoint a new Transport Minister to Cabinet. This is a critical vacancy and one that demands a dynamic, forward thinking, and solutions driven individual who is committed to leading the process of rail reform to restore decades of maladministration under the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).

The efficient movement of people and goods is central to restoring and igniting economic growth. We don’t have any time to waste.

The City of Cape Town’s Rail Feasibility Study aimed at guiding the administration on the risks, financial implications and timeframes involved for taking over the management of passenger rail from Prasa is well under way. We are determined to finalise this study in the shortest possible time, but unfortunately, we have not seen the same sense of urgency from our partner in the National Government.

Calls on the outgoing National Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, to convene a working group to run concurrently with the feasibility study have fallen on deaf ears. This is extremely disappointing as we need to work closely with National Government to see this process to fruition.

The White Paper on National Rail Policy that was approved in May 2022 states clearly that passenger rail needs to be devolved to capable local governments.

Rail reform as envisaged by White Paper should be a top-priority for the new Transport Minister. The complex process of enabling competition in the rail sector will require a dedicated, focused, and urgent effort.

It is possible, but requires bold political leadership.

I urge the President to choose wisely. We need a reliable and safe passenger rail system that can get people to work on time.

Source: City Of Cape Town