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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Crime reports Nov 28 2010
10:28 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
Visser, George & Keulder, Zelda - attacked, Donkerhoek smallholding: son Zane 6 hides in car
Pretoria – Six-year-old Zane Visser hid in his father's Land Rover after attackers had shot his father through the windscreen and then dragged his dad to their smallholding house at Donkerhoek, east of Pretoria. After the three armed black male attackers assaulted George Visser and his partner Zelda Keulder with firearms, they also dragged the terrified boy from the vehicle.”They kept their firearms pointed at us… I started praying out loud," said Keulder, 36, on Sunday outside the Pretoria hospital where bullets were removed from Visser’s shoulder. “One black attacker told me that I could pray even louder because we wouldn't see tomorrow." Nothing was robbed. Police are not investigating attempted double-murder: only a ‘house robbery’. http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Robbers-Pray-it-wont-help-20101129
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Jan Gerrit Hoekstra, Walmer Country Club manager, killed 9th Avenue, Walmer, PE drive-by shooting, nothing robbed, Nov 22 2010
A 61-year-old country club manager from Port Elizabeth was killed in an attempted hijacking, Eastern Cape police said on Tuesday. Walmer Country Club manager Jan Gerrit Hoekstra was on his way to the bank on Monday around 10am, when he was attacked on 9th Avenue in Walmer, said Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg. “A shot was fired by the suspect who tried to hijack his Opel Astra and he sped away. His car hit another motor vehicle slightly, he swerved to the side and hit a tree on the corner of 8th Avenue and Heugh Road. “The incident was first treated as an accident scene, until paramedics noticed that he had a gunshot wound in his upper body while they were treating him. He later died on the scene,” Janse van Rensburg said. She said nothing was taken from Hoekstra as his money and other valuables were found in the car. Police were investigating, said Janse van Rensburg. -http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/man-killed-in-attempted-hijacking-1.875715
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Mrs Cornelia Kilian, 84, strangled to death, retirement home Huis Aristea, Queen Street, Durbanville Saturday Nov 20 2010 – NOTHING APPEARS ROBBED
2010-11-21 Kobus Pretorius reports from Durbanville. An Eight-four-year old frail resident of a retirement home opposite Durbanville High School was strangled to death inside her bed on November 20 2010. A nurse found the body of Mrs Cornelia Kilian, 84, in House Aristea in Queen Street. “The nurse noticed that the burglar-bars were torn off a window,’ said sergeant Bernice Laäs-Bezuidenhout. Her cottage was ‘overturned inside’ but it’s not clear whether anything was robbed. The murder must have taken place between Saturday 22:00 and Monday at noon. The frail old woman was last seen alive on Saturday-evening. She lived alone and is survived by two daughters. The SAPS brought in trauma-councillors to talk to the deeply upset residents – and they were also adviced that if they wanted to leave the home for a while and stay with their family and children for a while, they should do so, as it would help them come to terms with the murder of their friend, said manager of the complex Mr Willem Agenbag. He said the home has excellent security and is monitored with closed-circuit TV 24/7 – however the cottages where Mrs Kilian was murdered were not included in the security system and they want to change that at once. The murder-weapon and the number of attackers are not yet known. http://www.dieburger.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Vrou-in-tehuis-vermoor-20101121
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Chris Bronkhorst, 67, torture victim, Walkervilleville smallholding Sept 29 2010 - back in hospital with stroke, complications
Nov 23 2010 Magda Cracknell writes on her Facebook page “White Genocide, did you Know? ‘--- “It is with great sadness that I want to ask you all to pray for the badly injured “crime” victim Mr Chris Bronkhorst. The 67-year-old partially-disabled Afrikaner pensioner was tortured with melting plastic and whipped repeatedly with a sjambok during a vicious daytime attack in his Walkerville smallholding home on September 29, 2010 by four young black males. The traumatic attack has caused a severe shock to his body and he has lost his zest for life. He has a permanent nurse looking after him physically but emotionally he needs upliftment and it's very understandable, considering what this man had to endure. On 20 Nov 2010 he was taken back to the Intensive Care Unit with a stroke and complications. Mr Bronkhorst was severely tortured – a lot of the details were omitted from the press reports. His Wife Hester and sister in law Helena appreciates your support in prayer.http://www.beeld.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Rowers-martel-en-slaan-verlamde-67-20101102
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Afrikaans hero-schoolboy Riaan Vermeulen 16 who shot, injured home-invader Sept 19 2010 in Naudeeville, FS family now target of terror-gang, police guard home
Nov 24 2010 – NAUDEEVILLE, FREE STATE - Afrikaans schoolboy Riaan Vermeulen (16) saved the lives of his family when he overpowered a home-invader, got the attacker’s gun away from him after his father was shot in both legs – and then shot and injured the attacker while they were grappling. The family also told police that the attackers must have drugged them somehow because the family had suddenly fallen asleep in front of the TV before they were attacked. Now, reports Beeld newspaper, the young man is being terrorised by the criminal fraternity. Marisa Phillips of Volksblad newspaper writes from Welkom that the youth’s mom Jackie, of Naudéville, said three more attempts were made to break into their home and people have been drawing red marks on a tree in front of their home to terrorise them. The family is still in Bloemfontein however to be near the family patriarch, Riaan, who is in hospital for surgery after he was shot. A neighbour phoned Mrs Vermeulen to warn her that strange people had tried to get into the Vermeulen property on Saturday. ‘My neighbour’s husband yelled at those people to get out. The next morning they also saw the red cross scrawled on the tree and also that plastic bottles had been placed as field-writing markers atop our gate”. The security alarms were tripped thrice since the Sept 19 2010 incident. Security company officials have posted a guard inside their erf and the police are also watching the house. Mrs Vermeulen said her son was still undergoing trauma-counselling and because of all the stress, would be unable to complete his exams. “He is still very emotional but said if placed in the same situation he’d do it again.’ The home-invader (described as a ‘robber’ although nothing was robbed) who was shot and injured by the young man was found collapsed on a neighbouring property and has been in critical condition at the Bongani hospital since that day, under police guard.http://www.volksblad.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Inbrekers-teister-glo-jong-held-nadat-hy-gesin-red-20101121 http://www.volksblad.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Seun-16-skiet-inbreker-met-eie-wapen-nadat-hy-pa-wond-20101120
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Two black-owned mining companies’ owners face criminal charges over dangerous pollution
Mr Hendrik Mills, on behalf of the private Environmental Protection Association, has laid criminal charges against 2 mining companies at the Ermelo SAPS – one being Coal of Africa at its Mooiplaats mine outside Ermelo. The continued media reports on the degradation of the environment and pollution caused by industry and more specific, certain mining companies, caused the Association to lay criminal charges. Government departments have shown their inability to effectively police the industry. Administrative actions against such companies do not have the necessary deterrent effect and despite criminal transgressions by some companies government still does not pursue criminal charges. Companies must realise that they are not above the law, the law applies equally to everyone. They may be able to afford to pay administrative fines but facing the possibility of going to jail, having the assets and profits of the company seized and its mining rights withdrawn may have the necessary deterrent effect. Aggrieved persons can contact the association for assistance at 0828079278. http://blogs.beeld.com/Elise_WatOpAarde/iets-op-engels
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KILLER OF ROBIN McGREGOR, PUBLISHER/OWNER OF ‘WHO OWNS WHOM’ ON AUG 12 2008 – SENTENCED TO 30 YEARS IN PRISON
killer Thomas gets 30 years in jail
Cape Times. November 23 2010 By A’Eysha Kassiem Judge Nathan Erasmus of the Cape High Court sentenced Thomas, the convicted murderer of Cape Town publisher Robin McGregor to a 30-year prison term. He would be free after his 60th birthday. The popular publisher was murdered in 2008 in his Tulbagh home. His Mercedes-Benz and two safes were stolen. Judge Erasmus said: “Mr McGregor was killed in a brutal manner. He was stabbed with a knife multiple times and dragged across the floor in his corridor. The question is: ‘What kind of man does that?’ Especially with your background?” Judge Erasmus was referring to the fact that Thomas seemed to come from a “good home” and had also been able to study further and get a post-high school certificate. The murder had clearly shaken both the Tulbagh community and the Saron community, where Thomas was from. “It was not just because it was McGregor (who was killed), but because of the type of murder that was committed,” he said, referring to the brutality of the crime. “You are too young to understand where we come from as a society. “We are trying to build a nation and one of the biggest problems in terms of our democracy is crime. It undermines what we stand for,” said Judge Erasmus. Thomas claimed that his involvement in the murder was because he was “put under duress by members of the 28s gang” and said he was innocent. Judge Erasmus said it was necessary to underline the seriousness of the crime with the sentence. McGregor’s daughter, Elizabeth, said that nothing could bring her father back. “But I feel that the justice system has been good to us and we feel lucky,” she said, before bursting into tears. “I’m glad that it’s over.” aeysha.kassiem@inl.co.za - Cape Times http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/mcgregor-s-killer-spared-life-1.875690
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South Africa: Collapsing into a failed State by Dr Jan du Plessis. November 23, 2010 - This detailed analysis comes from Dr Jan Du Plessis who specialises in producing detailed analyses for large businesses. He is based in Pretoria. Dr Du Plessis is an old hand at this sort of thing having spent much of his life doing various intelligence analyses. http://afrikanerjournal.wordpress.com/2010/11/23/south-africa-collapsing-into-a-failed-state/
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Pretoria regurgitated bus ticket scam by drivers?
Nov 19 2010 - Gordon Schumway writes on the Facebook page of the Pro-Afrikaans Action Group (PRAAG) : "Got on Bus 310 on Saturday of the Pretoria bus service. Instead of one R10.- ticket the driver - a black woman - gave me two R5-tickets - one of which had already been used. I suspect that bus-drivers earn extra income in Pretoria by reselling used tickets. This is a scan of the two tickets. The serial numbers don't follow on another and one was clipped twice. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Censorbugbear-Reports/116752351671946#!/photo.php?fbid=1657211156520&set=o.106237542752243
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African Field Writing: “Winning in Farm-Attacks” – in Afrikaans only - by retired field-tracking police expert Lukas Swart - who teaches the secret language of African field-writing sign-posting…
Retired SA police officer Lukas Swart ‘s book “Winning in farm-attacks’ (in Afrikaans only), explains the secret language of the African field-signs which are often placed around SA homes by criminal gangs while watching your place - long before their hit-squads plan any attacks on your family. Often your home is watched for many weeks to analyse your movements before these attacks. The gang members communicate with African field-signs, which involve a large variety of colour-coded objects. Targetted victims however can prevent attacks if they know the secret language – but only if you learn to read and interpret them correctly: and know what to do when spotting them. Importantly, this book also teaches you to never remove these signs nor to go and study them up close – because the hit squad could be in the near vicinity, hiding, watching your place, testing its defences – and then be able to kill you on the spot… The author, a retired SA police officer with extensive knowledge of the secret art of African field-writing, is often hired as a private forensic investigator. He writes that ‘many people are under the impression that as long as they can speak an African language, they would be able to understand enough to be forewarned against armed criminals planning to attack them.” But people should also learn this secret way in which Africans communicate with each other all across the continent…
ordering the book:
- Cost R220.00 + postage and handling R30.00 = R250.00 total
- Pay on Account name AKSKA MEDIA CC (make sure you spell the account name correctly)
Account Nr 406 851 4372 Bank branch code: 632005 - Fax your proof of payment to 0866 474 540 and indicate the mailing address and cellphone number so that your tracking number can be emailed to you. Contact:
- Maritha Swart, AKSKA MEDIA
fax: 0866 474 540
Cell: 082 7850 484 email: mdp_s@intekom.co.za - http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2009/11/knowing-african-field-signs-can-save.htm
Most violent country’s cops in action VIDEOS
The ANC-regime is deliberately cultivating a culture of violence among black youths... This shocking scene of a very large numbers of kids being taught the ‘execution game’ under the guidance of a Durban youth-league leader was captured at the local marina during a school-outing. Photographer Snowy Smith, blogger on ‘ Death of Durban’ said that when the children spotted him as ‘the only white man in the entire place, they pointed their guns at him and shouted: ‘you’re dead’.
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South Africa now is the ‘most violent democracy in the world…’
Nov 21 2010 - A top-secret government report tabled in a closed-session of a parliamentary subcommittee, warned that the chaotic conditions in the country’s military were causing a ‘dire threat to state security’. However the government still refuses to publish all the details. Some were however read into the parliamentary record by Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier – who accused Defence and military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu of having ‘misled’ both parliament and the country by witholding her reports. http://longwalksincefreedom.blogspot.com/2010/11/sandf-morale-be-security-threat.html
Even the best-skilled, most highly-motivated white cops and soldiers are being terrorised from their state-jobs:
Below are links to YouTube videos dating from 2006 -- of the secretive Special Task Force of the SAPS in action. However many of these very skilled, well-trained and multilingual white cops on the videos have since been been pestered out of the police -- as part of the ANC-regime’s ‘black-economic-empowerment’ programme which effectively bars ‘whites’ from the job-market.
- Relevant articles:
- “Stop the Boer song must not be unbanned…
- Afrikaners terrorised from public service
- Mutinous AIDS-infected soldiers, cps pose threat to State security – warning
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VIDEOS:
- The Special Task Force-Episode 1-part 2/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc31C296B-Y - The Special Task Force-Episode 1-part 3/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hhcIFdWVWI - The Special Task Force-Episode 1-part 4/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCu8lXspllA - The Special Task Force-Episode 1-part 5/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iilife838c - The Special Task Force-Episode 1-part 6/6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fJWCgpGfaA - Afrikaners terrorised from public service: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/11/afrikaners-terrorised-from-public.html
- Stop the Boer song must not be unbanned because whites are being attacked at the rate of ten a day now: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/11/shoot-boer-song-must-not-be-unbanned.html
- Blacks reject poor-Afrikaners in townships, threaten to kill them: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/11/blacks-reject-poor-whites-in-townships.html
- Black ANC-comrades earns huge profits from anti-white land-sales laws: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/11/black-politicians-earn-huge-profits.html
- Mutinous AIDS-infected SA soldiers, police a dangerous threat to the security of the State – warning: http://censorbugbear-reports.blogspot.com/2010/11/mutinous-aids-infected-soldiers.html
SA railway network collapses under ANC-rule
CAPE TOWN – Parliament: Nov 23 2010. South Africa’s once-proud 20,000-km railway network is in serious decline, with 3,255 km now totally unuseable. This admission was made by the country’s public enterprises Minister in parliament. They have no plans to repair those closed lines: instead the regime want to ‘award concessions to private operators’ who are expected to reopen and maintain the lines. The Eastern Cape has the biggest problem, with a whopping 1,202 km of closed branch-lines. South Africa’s collapsing railway system also causes much higher food-prices because it now needs to import 90% of all its wheat from off-continent through its harbours – and because of the poor railway system the grain has to be transported by road – which costs up to 30% more than by rail.
relevant: Action against bread-producers’ higher prices.
Another major problem is caused by the high level of violent crime on SA commuter trains -- and its increasingly poor maintenance creates a monthly lithany of goods-trains derailments and even of passenger trains. The latest high-publicity event being an April 2010 derailment of a Cape Town to Pretoria luxury tourist train run by the private concession Rovos Rail - killing three people and leaving nine critically injured. Most of the 55 passengers were tourists from Europe and the USA.
----------------------
History:
Ever since railways were invented, they were also very quickly utilised to create South Africa’s first public transportation infrastructure. All its major cities are connected by a narrow-guage rail network -- indeed South Africa's 20,000 kilometre-railway system is the most highly developed in Africa.[1] The South African rail industry is publicly owned. The first track for steam-powered locomotives was a line of about 2 miles (3.2 km) linking the Town of Durban with harbour point, opened on the 26th June 1860.[2] Cape Town ‘s colonial British government started building a 45-mile (72 km) line linking Cape Town to Wellington in 1859 and opened its first section of the line to the Eerste River on 13 February 1862.
The Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State at the same time, also imported many Dutch railway-engineers and rolling stock from The Netherlands and Germany. During the period when the British colonial forces were planning to invade the Boer Republics, the railway grid between Cape Town and the Boer Republics became interlinked in 1898, creating a national transportation network.[3] This national network was largely completed by 1910.[1] Rail-lines extended as far north as present-day Zambia and the present Maputo in Mozambique.
During the apartheid-era, South Africa became famous for its luxury rail lines, most notably the Blue Train, which ran from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The Blue Line was frequently named as the best luxury train line in the world, and the 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) run was a popular tourist attraction for South Africa.[6] However, the highway system has caused the decline of long distance passenger travel. Many commuters still use rail for their daily commute, but nationally, only half of the nation's 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi) of track are being fully utilized, and some 35% of the nation's track carries no activity or very low activity.[1] crime on SA commuter-train network : http://www.iss.co.za/pgcontent.php?UID=13494
Poor maintenance creates dangerous hazards on SA rail network:
On 29 Sep 2010, journalist Bronwyn Gerretsen reported in The Mercury that the government-run Transnet rail service was ‘teetering on the brink of disaster.’ “Maintenance issues, capacity problems and general unreliability are plung the national rail ‘company’ into a shambles. A tree even grows in the middle of a railway line in Koffiefontein in the Free State…. Workers were frustrated by lengthy period without work because the overhauling of locomotives was done in Johannesburg when the work could be done at depots in KwaZulu. Finding spare parts took long periods. And its causing major problems for businesses and the distribution of food…”
Only 26 percent of grain transported by rail now – in the 1980s that was 85 percent…
At a time when South Africa ‘s commercial agricultural sector is being destroyed by the regime’s so-named ‘land-redistribution programme’, now has to import more than 90% of all its wheat from off-continent. However the country’s shocking railway infrastructure also means that most of this wheat has to be transported from the harbours by the much more expensive road-transport system. Jannie de Villiers, executive director at the Chamber of Milling, said there “had been talks to privatise rail on some smaller routes, but that these lines were in “a shocking condition”, if they even existed after vandalism and theft. The chamber’s members were forced to pay 20 to 30 percent more to transport produce by road. “We may ask for two railway wagons and only get one. Then there may be no driver or no locomotive. And if the load is transported… only half arrives at its destination because the wagon door… is damaged.” These problems also contributed to rising food costs, said De Villiers. In the 1980s, 85 percent of all grain was transported by rail. At the moment, this figure stood at 26 percent.
- De Villiers feared that ‘ South Africa would not be able to import produce in the event of severe drought because of the inadequate rail service. ‘
Cement industry spends R4billion a year on rail transport…
- ‘derailments all the time, very little maintenance…’
A representative of a cement manufacturer said the industry spent about R4 billion a year on rail transport, meaning that Transnet’s problems impacted heavily on their businesses. The motor industry was also relying more on road transport than rail, owing to both cheaper cost and better service. A representative of a company which transports vehicles by rail said Transnet “have a major problem at the moment – there are derailments all the time, and there is very little maintenance on both the lines and the trains.”
- Phalaborwa Mining Company affected by derailed train which destroyed Brakspruit Bridge:
- A derailment in September 2010 of a train loaded with phosphate resulted in the complete collapse of the Brakspruit Bridge, about 50km from Phalaborwa. This would “significantly” affect operations at the Phalaborwa Mining Company, said its managing director, Anthony Lennox. Transnet blames its problems with damaged locomotives and overall capacity on ‘decades of infrastructure neglect (it’s apartheid’s fault…) and vandalism It denies experiencing any maintenance or operational difficulties whatsoever http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=7631 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-238347420.html
SA railway network collapses under ANC-rule
CAPE TOWN – Parliament: Nov 23 2010. South Africa’s once-proud 20,000-km railway network is in serious decline, with 3,255 km now totally unuseable. This admission was made by the country’s public enterprises Minister in parliament. They have no plans to repair those closed lines: instead the regime want to ‘award concessions to private operators’ who are expected to reopen and maintain the lines. The Eastern Cape has the biggest problem, with a whopping 1,202 km of closed branch-lines. South Africa’s collapsing railway system also causes much higher food-prices because it now needs to import 90% of all its wheat from off-continent through its harbours – and because of the poor railway system the grain has to be transported by road – which costs up to 30% more than by rail.
Another major problem is caused by the high level of violent crime on SA commuter trains -- and its increasingly poor maintenance creates a monthly lithany of goods-trains derailments and even of passenger trains. The latest high-publicity event being an April 2010 derailment of a Cape Town to Pretoria luxury tourist train run by the private concession Rovos Rail - killing three people and leaving nine critically injured. Most of the 55 passengers were tourists from Europe and the USA.
----------------------
History:
Ever since railways were invented, they were also very quickly utilised to create South Africa’s first public transportation infrastructure. All its major cities are connected by a narrow-guage rail network -- indeed South Africa's 20,000 kilometre-railway system is the most highly developed in Africa.[1] The South African rail industry is publicly owned. The first track for steam-powered locomotives was a line of about 2 miles (3.2 km) linking the Town of Durban with harbour point, opened on the 26th June 1860.[2] Cape Town ‘s colonial British government started building a 45-mile (72 km) line linking Cape Town to Wellington in 1859 and opened its first section of the line to the Eerste River on 13 February 1862.
The Boer Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State at the same time, also imported many Dutch railway-engineers and rolling stock from The Netherlands and Germany. During the period when the British colonial forces were planning to invade the Boer Republics, the railway grid between Cape Town and the Boer Republics became interlinked in 1898, creating a national transportation network.[3] This national network was largely completed by 1910.[1] Rail-lines extended as far north as present-day Zambia and the present Maputo in Mozambique.
During the apartheid-era, South Africa became famous for its luxury rail lines, most notably the Blue Train, which ran from Cape Town to Johannesburg. The Blue Line was frequently named as the best luxury train line in the world, and the 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) run was a popular tourist attraction for South Africa.[6] However, the highway system has caused the decline of long distance passenger travel. Many commuters still use rail for their daily commute, but nationally, only half of the nation's 20,000 kilometres (12,000 mi) of track are being fully utilized, and some 35% of the nation's track carries no activity or very low activity.[1] crime on SA commuter-train network : http://www.iss.co.za/pgcontent.php?UID=13494
Poor maintenance creates dangerous hazards on SA rail network:
On 29 Sep 2010, journalist Bronwyn Gerretsen reported in The Mercury that the government-run Transnet rail service was ‘teetering on the brink of disaster.’ “Maintenance issues, capacity problems and general unreliability are plung the national rail ‘company’ into a shambles. A tree even grows in the middle of a railway line in Koffiefontein in the Free State…. Workers were frustrated by lengthy period without work because the overhauling of locomotives was done in Johannesburg when the work could be done at depots in KwaZulu. Finding spare parts took long periods. And its causing major problems for businesses and the distribution of food…”
Only 26 percent of grain transported by rail now – in the 1980s that was 85 percent…
At a time when South Africa ‘s commercial agricultural sector is being destroyed by the regime’s so-named ‘land-redistribution programme’, now has to import more than 90% of all its wheat from off-continent. However the country’s shocking railway infrastructure also means that most of this wheat has to be transported from the harbours by the much more expensive road-transport system. Jannie de Villiers, executive director at the Chamber of Milling, said there “had been talks to privatise rail on some smaller routes, but that these lines were in “a shocking condition”, if they even existed after vandalism and theft. The chamber’s members were forced to pay 20 to 30 percent more to transport produce by road. “We may ask for two railway wagons and only get one. Then there may be no driver or no locomotive. And if the load is transported… only half arrives at its destination because the wagon door… is damaged.” These problems also contributed to rising food costs, said De Villiers. In the 1980s, 85 percent of all grain was transported by rail. At the moment, this figure stood at 26 percent.
- De Villiers feared that ‘ South Africa would not be able to import produce in the event of severe drought because of the inadequate rail service. ‘
Cement industry spends R4billion a year on rail transport…
- ‘derailments all the time, very little maintenance…’
A representative of a cement manufacturer said the industry spent about R4 billion a year on rail transport, meaning that Transnet’s problems impacted heavily on their businesses. The motor industry was also relying more on road transport than rail, owing to both cheaper cost and better service. A representative of a company which transports vehicles by rail said Transnet “have a major problem at the moment – there are derailments all the time, and there is very little maintenance on both the lines and the trains.”
- Phalaborwa Mining Company affected by derailed train which destroyed Brakspruit Bridge:
- A derailment in September 2010 of a train loaded with phosphate resulted in the complete collapse of the Brakspruit Bridge, about 50km from Phalaborwa. This would “significantly” affect operations at the Phalaborwa Mining Company, said its managing director, Anthony Lennox. Transnet blames its problems with damaged locomotives and overall capacity on ‘decades of infrastructure neglect (it’s apartheid’s fault…) and vandalism It denies experiencing any maintenance or operational difficulties whatsoever http://www.friendsoftherail.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=108&t=7631 http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-238347420.html