The Presidency has dismissed Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis’s warning to declare an intergovernmental dispute if President Cyril Ramaphosa fails to respond to a request for the establishment of a joint working committee on rail devolution by the end of August.
On Monday, Mayor Hill-Lewis expressed his concern about the significant impact of a non-functional passenger rail system during the recent taxi strike in Cape Town. The strike led to tens of thousands of commuters being stranded as taxis halted operations for eight days. Additionally, bus services were severely limited due to safety concerns as the striking taxi drivers targeted bus drivers who continued to operate.
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Mayor Hill-Lewis urged President Ramaphosa to convene the ‘joint working committee on passenger rail devolution’ and stressed that a timely response by 31 August was essential.
‘We urge the president to respond by 31 August to our request for a joint working committee on passenger rail devolution, failing which we will resort to intergovernmental dispute mediation,’ the mayor warned.
The mayor emphasised the crucial role of passenger rail as the backbone of Cape Town’s transportation network and criticised the state of the rail system, which has deteriorated significantly while the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has evaded accountability for improving service levels.
‘But [the rail network] has all but collapsed while Prasa refuses to be held accountable for improving service levels to the public. All spheres of government have a duty to fix this situation without delay,’ he said.
Mayor Hill-Lewis underscored the importance of a joint working committee on devolution, particularly in light of the national transport director-general’s commitment to establishing a rail devolution strategy by the end of 2023. The City aimed to contribute to this national strategy and finalise plans for rail devolution in Cape Town.
‘Unfortunately, our request for a joint committee has been gathering dust on the president’s desk for more than two months now, which is not a situation we are prepared to tolerate,’ stated Mayor Hill-Lewis.
The City has been actively advocating for the assumption of management of rail services in the metro for a considerable period of time. However, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Ramaphosa, told News24 that the Presidency does not respond to ‘threats in this regard.’
Magwenya emphasised the importance of constructive engagement and due process in addressing matters of concern. He acknowledged the mayor’s prerogative to take action but indicated that the response would follow established procedures.
‘We would rather deal with matters through processes in a constructive manner. The mayor can exercise his prerogative as he sees fit, and we will respond accordingly through due process,’ Magwenya said.
In May of the previous year, the Cabinet approved the White Paper on National Rail Policy, committing to the devolution of rail services to capable metropolitan areas and outlining the intention to formulate a rail devolution strategy in 2023. Moving ahead to May of the current year, Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who assumed her position recently, communicated that there were no current plans to devolve rail responsibilities to the City.
Earlier this year, Chikunga’s predecessor, Fikile Mbalula, declined to establish a working committee and clarified in a letter to Mayor Hill-Lewis that his department had not received a government directive to initiate any form of devolution.
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Picture: Prasa Group / Facebook