Commuters rising at the crack of dawn to catch the first trains at Mabopane railway station to work in different Pretoria suburbs, are doing so in constant fear of being mugged.
Over the past couple of months, the Mabopane station has been undergoing renovations. According to Doris Mnguni, Democratic Alliance (DA) member of the portfolio committee for community safety and emergency services, there has been a surge in crime since the construction started.
“The innovation to build one of the biggest multiple transport nodes in South Africa is welcome. However, this has left residents and users of this station, victims of crime. On a normal day, multiple users of the station are robbed, strangled and sadly they leave the crimes unreported, fearing for their lives and hoping that they do not add to the crime statistics,’’ she said.
She added that questions have been posted to the mayor regarding the municipal oversight concerning by-law enforcement and road safety.
“These questions still remain unanswered. Instead, we expect the mayor and mayoral management committee (MMC) to pass the buck on to the national department of transport and fail to account for the areas where the city does have oversight powers and responsibility. We are concerned that no one is prepared to act on the level of crime and law enforcement that could shrink and potentially stop crime all together at the station. Ordinary citizens catching the 04:00 train or switching from buses to the train in the early hours of the morning and returning late at night, will still be falling victim to opportunistic crimes as there is no auxiliary lighting available after hours,’’ Mnguni said.
She called on the metro to co-ordinate safety measures with other stakeholders and ensure the safety of its residents.
“If the mayor is indeed serious about “igniting excellence” he would be the front runner to ensure that Tshwane residents who make use of the station are safe. Let the Batho Pele principle not only be a slogan printed on policy documents but a way of life in delivering service to the residents of Tshwane,’’ she said.
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