Cape Flats commuters have lauded the City’s new Rail Enforcement Unit, saying their daily trips have become much safer.
On Friday, members of the new unit descended on Lavistown Train Station accompanied by Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith.
Smith, who travelled on the train from Bishop Lavis to the Cape Town CBD, said he wanted to experience the challenges commuters faced first hand to ensure the new unit was as effective as possible.
A group of moms started clapping hands as officers patrolled the station.
“ Nou so, nou kan ons lekker travel,” a woman was heard shouting.
A 54-year-old father from Belhar, who asked not to be named, says the commute to work is often a “dice with death” with skelms preying on passengers.
“This Lavis line is very dangerous and sometimes when I am coming home late, I will rather get off at another station and take a taxi home because I fear for my safety,” he says.
“In the winter it’s very bad because it’s dark. They come with knives, and some even guns, to rob the people and it’s our lives at risk.”
During the ride, Smith noted the high amount of commuters without tickets, but people say at stations like Lavistown, the ticket booth has not been staffed for years and they pay when they arrive in town.
Officers say they feel sorry for people who cannot afford the ticket price and take dangerous measures to avoid going through Cape Town station.
“You will see many people just jump off when the train reaches Woodstock because they don’t have money, and it’s dangerous. Sometimes when I see someone who is really struggling, I give a R10 of my own money [for a ticket] because I feel bad for them,” an officer said.