Civil society coalition Unit Behind said its members and activists from across the city will on Friday gather at Cape Town Train Station for a peaceful protest to demand commuter safety on Metrorail trains.
The organisation said commuters face unsafe journeys on a daily basis to get to work and school on time.
“The most affected are women who get sexually harassed, as well as learners, who sometimes get pushed out of trains due to overcrowding.
“In their 2017/18 report, the Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) showed that a total number of 4478 incidents were reported in the railway environment across all categories,” it said.
Tragic deaths often occur on trains due to overcrowding, failing infrastructure and violent crime.
The systemic delays and cancellations inflict untold misery on commuters.
Workers lose jobs and face threats of dismissal, while small businesses are crippled by absenteeism and late coming, according to Unite Behind.
“Just this week there have been delays of more than two hours across the region due to infrastructure problems in Cape Town.
“This has left commuters stranded and scrambling for alternative transport.”
In April, they occupied Prasa offices demanding safer trains.
The organisation wants “qualified and properly trained” security guards on trains and at stations, operating on legal
contracts.
African News Agency