The State-owned Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is appealing to the public to help curb incidents of stone-throwing at moving trains.
Stones have been thrown at trains in some of the newly reopened corridors, resulting in cracked windows in some cases, it reports.
“The practice of stone-throwing is a dangerous and illegal one that can lead to the disruption of services while cracked or broken windows are being repaired,” PRASA emphasises in a statement.
Therefore, it is urging communities to help protect the blue electrical motor units running on the recently reopened lines.
PRASA outlines that initial evidence suggests that the Northern Corridor (Pretoria) has a higher share of the incidents of stone-throwing. Some of the identified hotspots include Kopanong, Soshanguve and the Moshate informal settlement.
The entity’s security team has launched an investigation that aims to identify stone-throwing hotspots and to use both surveillance and technology to bring this practice to an end.
Security officers will be deployed at the hotspots to reduce the risks associated with stone-throwing.
A dedicated team has been established to deal with the phenomenon. This team will also provide rapid response to the incidents for incident management and investigation.
PRASA says it will also intensify outreach to local communities, including schools, to promote a culture of collective ownership, pride and responsibility for the trains.
Local police, metro police and rapid rail police have also been briefed and they will form part of the solution to deal with stone-throwing, says PRASA, adding that they will also assist in ensuring those who throw stones are apprehended and prosecuted.
The entity will also submit proposals for the introduction of harsher penalties for anyone caught throwing stones or vandalising trains, whether the trains are moving or stationary.
PRASA says it is also working towards ensuring a high level of security visibility along affected corridors to deter and detect criminal activities which may affect the movement of trains. A long-term solution will be to erect concrete walls along identified hotspots.