Today's suspension of Metrorail services due to non-payment of Eskom bills has left thousands of Western Cape residents from our poorest communities stranded. This is completely unacceptable and cannot be allowed to continue. Our residents need a reliable transport service so that they can get to and from work, access opportunities as well as services in our city and province.
PRASA has let us all down and must now do what it should have done when I raised this issue with President Ramaphosa in December last year: pay its bills.
Our Provincial Minister of Transport and Public Works Bonginkosi Madikizela and his department have had several positive meetings with the PRASA administrator in recent weeks he will be communicating with them to ascertain how the situation is being handled. Minister Madikizela is committed to doing everything possible to fixing this difficult situation and will work with PRASA in doing so.
I again urge national government to consider us as partners in fixing this problem: but this will require devolving powers to us to do so. We get things done and we pay our bills: let us help deliver a reliable service to the commuters of the Western Cape. They deserve nothing less.
Right now, we need an immediate solution to this suspension, and this means PRASA paying the money it owes to Eskom immediately.
Bianca Capazorio
Spokesperson for Premier Alan Winde
Tel: 021 483 5004
Cell: 072 372 7044