Only two people have been arrested for arson attacks on Cape Town trains in the past decade‚ and no one has been convicted.
Western Cape Premier Helen Zille said on Thursday the information — provided by the police to community safety MEC Dan Plato — was “wholly unacceptable”.
A spate of arson attacks this year has left Metrorail with less than half the number of trains it needs to run its Cape Town commuter service.
The number of passengers has declined by 40% in three years‚ and Zille said this had a direct effect on Cape Town’s road congestion — the worst in the country.
The premier said she wanted an urgent meeting with the provincial police commissioner‚ Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Jula‚ to find out what the police were doing to tackle the arson attacks.
The negligible arrest and conviction rate reflected a dysfunctional criminal justice system‚ she said.