Solution to curb train vandalism

Keith Blake, community activist, Ottery

This is an open proposal to the City of Cape, Metrorail, the despondent, desperate rail transport commuters and law enforcement agencies.

The Western Cape rail transport system has suffered billions of rands of damage in regards to trains being set on fire.

We read that a rail police unit was established to curb these acts of sabotage, assisted by numerous security companies but these top dogs of safety and security failed dismally as the trains are still being set alight where they are parked after use for the day, recently at Retreat station (“Train vandalism continues”, Southern Mail, January 22) and one dare not want to even ask where was the security was and how the perpetrators got to these extremely valuable train coaches, coaches the poor desperate, paying commuters need to get to work, school, universities etc.

My proposal is to use legally the vigilante attitude of the community to protect these trains where they are parked after use.

Make use of the desperate unemployed community members via the EPWP (Expanded Public Works Programme) and hire these community members to guard these trains in large numbers.

I guarantee these community members will never allow perpetrators to come near these trains as these trains are giving communities employment that puts food on the table.

Think about my proposal with logic and with a reasonable man criteria perspective and come to the conclusion I have already come to.