Metrorail suspends services in KZN
The Metrorail services in KwaZulu-Natal have been suspended until further notice, after violent unrest at the Umlazi station on Friday when a thousand-strong mob ran riot as a result of the trains having run late.
Four cars were torched and the station buildings were also vandalised, as was a coach.
The spokesperson for Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa in KZN, Zama Nomnganga, says management “had no choice” but to suspend services.
READ: Train station vandalized, property set alight in Umlazi protest
“Our staff and our drivers are traumatised,” he says, “They are not safe at all”.
Nomnganga says it is important that their drivers are in a good frame of mind so that they are safe to ferry commuters.
“At the moment, we are focussed on their well being,” he says.