The mayor of Cape Town invited President Cyril Ramaphosa to collaborate with the City on the urgent devolution of passenger rail services.
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In a letter addressed to the President, Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis asks to confirm whether the national Cabinet-approved White Paper to devolve rail to capable metros still stands in response to recent anti-devolution comments made by the ANC.
‘I have asked President Ramaphosa to confirm his commitment to devolving passenger rail to metros, and that this Cabinet-approved policy has not been abandoned. We are asking the President to form a joint working committee with the City to chart the way towards rail devolution in the shortest possible time. If we don’t do this critical preparation now, it will take many years for rail to be devolved for the metro to run.’
Hill-Lewis says delays can not be accepted as residents desperately need an affordable, safe and reliable rail service in Cape Town. ‘Lower-income households will save up to R932 million per year with an efficient passenger rail service in Cape Town. Our research also shows that getting the trains running will sustain over 51 000 jobs and add R11 billion to the local economy each year.’
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He adds that the City’s own devolution feasibility study is underway, noting that Cape Town’s passenger rail system only transports around 2% of commuters. ‘We now expect the President to break his silence and confirm whether he will work with us towards devolution or not. No matter how the President responds, our promise to residents is that we will never stop fighting on their behalf for a proper passenger rail service in our city.’
The White Paper on National Rail Policy was passed in May 2022. It commits to devolving rail to capable metros and to producing a Rail Devolution Strategy in 2023. However, this plan has been contradicted by several senior political figures, as per a City statement.
New transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga says there are no plans to devolve rail for Cape Town, while outgoing transport minister Fikile Mbalula has reportedly, to date, ignored a letter from Hill-Lewis, which was addressed in March. This letter requested the formation of a joint working committee on devolution.
Minister Mbalula declined and noted in a letter to Hill-Lewis that his department ‘has not been given a directive by the government and me to start with any form of devolution’.
In January, ANC policy head for economic transformation Mmamoloko Kubayi confirmed that devolving rail is not on the cards for the ANC, adding that she would ‘not advise any department to dissolve (sic) power or function to the metros. You can’t do that with strategic infrastructure and important economic activity. Rail is one of the backbones of the movement of goods and people. We can’t give it to metros.’
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