DURBAN – Angry commuters torched carriages on a train they were travelling in after it came to a halt because of mechanical problems in Kenville, Durban.
The train service was disrupted for several hours on Wednesday night but was reopened on Thursday morning.
Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the train stalled at the station at 5pm on Wednesday.
Angry commuters, she said, then allegedly set two carriages alight and also assaulted security personnel and police officers.
The commuters demanded that train officials provide alternative transport in the form of buses. However, when this did not materialise they torched the train, said eThekwini ward 34 councillor Ashok Maharajh.
Protesters had also damaged windows on the train and allegedly tried digging up parts of the railway line.
Mbhele said the commuters then walked up Nandi Drive towards Dumisani Highway in KwaMashu. They barricaded the road with burning tyres and pelted passing cars with stones.
Angry commuters torched carriages on a train they were travelling in after it came to a halt because of mechanical problems in Kenville, Durban. Picture: Supplied
Mbhele said the commuters protested again when the trains did not arrive this morning and they were unable to travel to work.
They again threw stones and debris at passing vehicles.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) KwaZulu-Natal spokesperson Zama Nomnganga was unavailable for comment, but workers at the Kenville train station said the lines between Umgeni and Effingham were working normally this morning. The lines had been closed during the chaos.
“The situation was quite volatile. They gathered on Nandi Drive, where it is alleged they stoned passing vehicles. They were waiting for buses to pick them up,” Maharajh said.
Cases of public violence and arson were opened at Greenwood Park Police Station. No arrests had been made.
Daily News