The Western Cape government is offering a R100 000 reward to anyone providing police with information which will result in the arrest and successful conviction of those responsible for destroying train carriages through arson attacks on the Cape Town rail system.
The reward is being offered through the Community Safety Department, Premier Helen Zille and Community Safety MEC Dan Plato said on Sunday.
Arson damage to trains over the past four months had amounted to about R50 million, and at least R210m over the past five years.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) required 88 train sets to run an effective service.
Currently, due to arson, cable theft and vandalism, the available sets were down to below 40.
“We are calling on those with information to come forward. The Cape rail system is the backbone that connects the people of Cape Town with their livelihoods, education and personal interests,” Zille said.
The sabotage had serious knock-on effects for the Western Cape economy and productivity.
“The organised criminal elements behind these attacks must be exposed,” Zille said.
Plato said police are hard at work trying to find the skelms, but need the public’s help.
“The R100 000 reward we are making available is our warning to these arsonists - you are being watched, you will be caught and we will not allow you to derail this province,” Plato said.
The province recently added 100 additional security officials, currently undergoing training by the City’s Law Enforcement, for deployment to guard trains and rail infrastructure.