Pretoria - The Tshwane Rail Traders Association has slammed the controversial regulations published by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) banning several activities, including preaching and informal trading - traditional activities on the highly-utilised commuter trains.
In an interview with IOL, chairperson of the Tshwane Rail Traders Association, Paul Mohale said Prasa was attempting to shift goalposts, and banning informal traders would condemn many families to hunger.
“We are not in agreement with anything that the Prasa management is saying. The same Prasa management fails their own workers, as they have been failing the company,” said Mohale.
As informal traders, we signed a memorandum of understanding with Prasa, back in 2017. We have also had lots of engagements through workshops that were led by the same Lilian Mofokeng, at the time she was spokesperson for Metrorail.”
Following the engagements, Mohale said a draft policy on informal traders was formulated.
“Prasa must do the right thing, as they used to do under former chief executives like Lucky Montana, Collins Letsoalo, and Lindikhaya Zide. The current leadership does not know anything about running the entity, and we have had several meetings with them,” said Mohale.
He vowed that the informal traders would fight to save their jobs, and would not abandon their only source of livelihood.
“What I want to tell you is that, we are not shaken by the new rules at Prasa. Right now, as I am speaking to you, our traders are on the train platforms, and inside trains. I am at the Pretoria main station right now,” said Mohale.
“Traders are here at Prasa, and we are going to stay. We are going to continue selling in the trains, and on the platforms of any train – be it blue, green, yellow, black. We are always there.
“Prasa cannot adopt apartheid rules to fail our small-businesses of black people. If Prasa does not want informal traders, they must give us jobs of cleaning trains and the stations,” said Mohale.
Last week, Prasa spokesperson Lillian Mofokeng told IOL that activities like religious gatherings, gambling and trading, which have been commonplace on the commuter trains, are no longer allowed on the new Prasa trains.
She said Prasa had introduced the new rolling stock known as “The People’s Train” as part of rebuilding its infrastructure.
“The current rolling stock is structured differently and has open coaches. Due to this openness of coaches and oneness of the train sets, it is important not to impose behavioural system on any of our commuters. It is also in the interest of prioritising safety,” said Mofokeng.
“Attached, please find our conditions of carriage, which stipulates no smoking, no trading, no churches, no gambling. We also have a Passenger Service Charter that (outlines) the service that Prasa is offering to commuters.”
On the other hand, the South African Council of Churches (SACC) is seeking answers from Prasa on the controversial regulations.
“As the SACC, we take a view that, firstly, we do not condemn in any way, shape or form what Prasa is doing. We are seeking to say, let us have a conversation as a country and understand why certain decisions are taken. And key to these decisions is our view that Prasa would not take such a decision unless it is informed by something it believes is important enough to make these rules,” Mzwandile Molo, SACC deputy secretary general told Newzroom Afrika.
“We are clear in our minds that the trains are part of the extension of the public square and the public experience of our people, and part of that is living with the freedom to express your religious views, freedom to share what you believe in, in terms of your faith, and we believe that kind of freedom must be counter-balanced by the experiences of those who might not want to be disturbed, wanting to be in safe, quieter space.
“As the SACC, if we understand why Prasa makes that decision, it makes it possible to say to our communities - this is the reason, and this reason makes quite clear sense, and we believe we can support it. If it doesn’t make sense, we can then find solutions with Prasa, as communities that are interested in this work.”
IOL