- Those travelling from Johannesburg to Cape Town via the Shosholoza Meyl had to complete the trip by bus
- This was after it was discovered that criminals stole the cables that prevented the journey from being completed
- South Africans were disappointed in the criminals and believed that the cable theft was sabotage
Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News's current affairs journalist, offered coverage of current affairs and societal issues during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.
After its resumption was recently announced, South Africans excited to ride the Shosholoza Meyl were left with a bitter taste in their mouths. Because of cable theft, those who took the trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town were compelled to finish their trip via bus. South Africans were not too surprised at the turn of events as they believed the service's return was rushed, while others felt this was sabotage.
Cable theft cuts Prasa's trip short
According to @PRASA_Group's tweet, the train from Johannesburg to Cape Town stopped at Wellington in the Western Cape, a 45-minute drive to Cape Town. Earlier this month, Prasa announced that its long-distance service has returned after a two-year hiatus caused by infrastructure issues like cable theft.
The rest of the JHB to Cape Town trip, one of its maiden trips, was completed via bus because of cable theft. Despite the setback, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa said that it remained committed to reviving Shosholoza Meyl. View the tweet here.
Mzansi blames sabotage
South Africans commented on the mishap and believed that this was sabotage.
Shonny wrote:
“Until crime is addressed, nothing will go right. This is direct sabotage.”Tebogo Koma dissed Julius Malema.
“Julius Malema is busy celebrating the cable theft challenges faced by Shosholoza Meyl, yet he senselessly encourages porous borders where these cables are smuggled out of the countries. Malema is too negative to be president.”Goolam wrote:
“This is economic sabotage. Because the government is terrified of the taxi industry, a law unto themselves, absolutely no consequences will be taken for this massive crime.”Mpho@ZA exclaimed.
“The aim is to prove that it doesn’t work so that they privatise it.”Somnyama Omude suggested:
“Make scrapyards illegal. You’ll see improvement.”PRASA encourages South Africans to travel by train
Similarly, Briefly News reported that Prasa encouraged South Africans to travel via train this festive season.
This came after Prasa revived its long-distance trips from Johannesburg to Durban and Cape Town. South Africans were encouraged but feared that criminal elements might prevent people from fully experiencing the Shosholoza Meyl experience.
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