City meets Metrorail on unfenced railway lines

By Ofentse Mokae
20 October 2009

City of Cape Town Mayoral committee member on Social development councillor Grant Pascoe is expected to meet Metrorail Western Cape Regional authorities to discuss unfenced rail way lines around the city.

The meeting follows the recent death of a 22 year old female and her 6 year old daughter in Nyanga.

In a statement Grant says the meeting which is expected to be held tomorrow with the Regional Manager Steven Nogbeni will afford Metrorail and opportunity to give them an explanation about the situation.

Metrorail has a duty to protect the public, but fencing that should prevent residents from gaining access to railway lines is in a shocking state of disrepair throughout the Metropole,” said Cllr Pascoe.

Nomveliso Blayi and her daughter Zimkita died after being hit by a train at an illegal railway crossing in Nyanga last Thursday.

Close to 100 people die every year on Cape Town’s railways. In 2007, the last year for which the Medical Research Council’s statistics are available, 80 people suffered fatal accidents.