“It’s a catastrophic event waiting for a time and date to happen, with a venue already set up.”
This was the sour reaction from concerned Roodepoort residents who’ve been witnessing the vandalism of railway tracks at the Georginia Railway Station in Roodepoort.
These residents, who reside stone’s throw away from the station, told the Record that they were alerted to the vandalism after hearing a clunking noise echoing from the station one evening. They said the very same hard banging noise was once again heard during the day, and upon inspection, they witnessed a criminal hacking the brackets out of the railway tracks.
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https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2018/11/07/man-jumps-in-front-of-train/
“It’s a matter of time and a train is going to derail,” said Neighbourhood Watch volunteer, Chad Davies. “They just need to take a few more brackets out for the disaster to happen.”
When the Record visited the station on Thursday, 28 February, a number of brackets from the railway were clearly missing and some were misaligned and not secured.
If this matter does not receive urgent attention, Davies feared for residents residing on the properties beneath the railway line. “When the train derails, the houses on the sloping side are likely to be destroyed and whoever is at home will probably die,” he warned. He warned further that passengers in the train, including school children, would also be victims of the tragedy.
When asked if the Neighbourhood Watch had engaged Prasa regarding this ticking time bomb, Davies alleged that the entity does not answer its phones or emails. “We wanted to get them here, but nobody answers their phones or emails. We also asked the councillor to intervene after a wall collapsed, but still nothing has been done,” he said.
Apart from the railway track issue, Davies, Roberta Gschwend and other residents also complained about criminal activities at the station and its dilapidated condition. Davies said passengers no longer wait for the train at the station. “They wait for it outside the station because they fear they’ll be mugged by criminals. Another danger is school children who run across the railway tracks to get to the other side of the station, risking their lives, because they fear being mugged,” he explained.
He added that one day someone will get killed and that’s only when officials would give matters at the station the attention they deserve. However, he said, “We are hoping and praying that something will be done before any disastrous events occur”.
Ward 84 councillor, Gert Niemand, and Prasa, have been approached for comment.
The story will be updated as it develops.
