Civil Engineering July 2021 | Vol 29 No 6

22 July 2021 Civil Engineering Roads & transportat i on D elivering the opening address at the 39 th annual Southern African Transport Conference and Exhibition, a virtual event held from 5 to 7 July, Matthews spoke on the need to encourage a modal shift to rail for both cargo and commuters by making rail a more attractive choice. To achieve this, Prasa is implementing a significant pro- gramme aimed at getting the infrastructure in place to get key corridors back online. Matthews said a comprehensive security strategy was critical to the success of the recovery programme. He expressed confidence that key rail corridors could be secured by partnering with all rail stakeholders – commuters, communi- ties, and businesses. “We need to refurbish rolling stock and get the new trains through our renewal programme. But it is no use investing bil- lions in the system if you can’t look after it and protect the people using it,” said Matthews. PROTECTING PEOPLE & INFRASTRUCTURE He outlined an eight-point plan for Metrorail to address criminal activity and minimise disruptions to commuter services. An innovative part of the plan involves forming cooperatives with communities along rail corridors to provide cleaning services at stations. Communities would be empowered with training and business management skills by the National Department of Public Works. Prasa has found that stations where cooperatives are located provide protection for assets from vandalism and theft as the sta- tion became a workplace for the community. “In addition, these stations consistently adhere to cleanliness standards and provide employment for youth and women, creating inclusive growth and participation in the economy. This creates a sense of ownership and pride for communities,” said Matthews. Further progress towards protecting critical infrastructure has been achieved through a partnership with the South African Police Service. A joint plan was developed in a bid to curb the destruction, theft and vandalism of electrical wires and Prasa infrastructure at all regional Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl ser- vice points. Through 819 joint operations such as vehicle patrols, static action, stop-and-search, and employee searches at depots, over R47 million worth of Prasa infrastructure-related equipment (signal cables, overhead cables, pandrol clips and tracks as well as other signalling equipment) was seized, and 1 122 arrests made. A communication plan has also been implemented to sup- port the work of this project with a specific focus on deterring the work of syndicates and those behind the spate of theft and vandalism. In addition, Matthews said Prasa is part of a CEO advocacy group with Eskom, Telkom, and Transnet, working to have infrastructure theft classified as a serious crime and economic sabotage. The group is also engaging stakeholders on a number of issues, including a dedicated police division to deal with infra- structure crime, as well as regulating the scrap metal market and training law enforcement to deal with infrastructure theft. A joint operational centre, coordinating relevant government depart- ments and state agencies to prioritise cable and infrastructure crimes, is also being discussed. IMPROVING PERFORMANCE AND CAPACITY However, Matthews noted that safety and security are only some pieces of the puzzle, and that Prasa must also improve performance and capacity. “The steady decline in Prasa’s service levels must be halted and turned in the right direction. Basically, we need to get back to that level of service last seen in the 2000s,” he said. To achieve this, Prasa will implement two principles going forward. The first principle is one of accountability. Matthews believes that the culture of not taking responsibility for one’s own and others’ actions has permeated not only Prasa, but many other SOEs, and this needs to change. “We are instilling a renewed pride in Prasa and will help employees take ownership of their work, their projects or their service offering to commuters. This, combined with employee accountability and consequence management for our performance, is the fundamental basis of our approach, starting at the top,” he said. The second principle deals with clear, coherent and pragmatic planning. “We need to ensure that we are clear on what we want Passenger rail recovery strategy unveiled Prasa CEO Zolani Matthews recently unveiled a comprehensive strategy to revive South Africa’s passenger rail networks following a wave of crime and vandalism that has left the network crippled. Zolani Matthews, CEO, PRASA