Crime looms large for Cape Town commuters

Cape Town’s beleaguered public transport system has taken one step forward and one bloody step back.

The step forward was a total of 15 years in jail for a railway cable thief‚ which was welcomed on Friday by Brett Herron‚ the City of Cape Town mayoral committee member responsible for transport.

The step back was the shooting of a bus driver‚ who was left fighting for his life in hospital.

Herron said the “hefty” sentence handed down in Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Thursday to Fortune Nkomo was “a victory for our rail commuters who often experience delays due to vandalism and theft of Metrorail assets”.

Nkomo was jailed for 10 years for stealing train roof cables worth R250‚000‚ and handed a five-year sentence for malicious damage to property.

Metrorail spokeswoman Riana Scott said: “This sentence is only the beginning of a concerted ... programme of action to eradicate theft and vandalism from the rail network. It sends a clear message that theft of essential infrastructure and state assets will be met with more than just a rap over the knuckles in future.”

Herron said it was the first time the Criminal Matters Amendment Act had been successfully used in the Western Cape.

“[The act] provides for stricter bail conditions and harsher sentences‚ including up to 30 years’ imprisonment‚ for those caught and convicted of destruction of essential infrastructure‚” he said.

But he was horrified by the attack on a Golden Arrow Bus Service driver who was shot six times just before entering his Philippi depot at 7.30pm on Thursday.

“Our public transport services are sabotaged and undermined on a regular basis. The safety of our commuters and personnel is compromised‚ our assets are stolen and damaged and must be replaced and repaired at great cost‚” he said.

Golden Arrow spokeswoman Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said the driver was taken to hospital in critical condition.

“Fortunately‚ he has since been stabilised and we’re grateful to the medical teams for their efforts throughout the night. At the stage the motive is not clear‚ but we are working with the South African Police Service.”