Johannesburg - A 19-year-old boy has become the latest statistic of the train-surfing scourge in and around Joburg.
The matric pupil died on Tuesday when his daredevil stunt of leaping in and out of a moving train went horribly wrong.
Known only as Loyiso, he was on his way to Orlando High School when the train surfing stunt turned fatal.
“He was jumping in and out when he unfortunately slipped and fell in between the platform and the train onto the tracks at Chiawelo railway station. He had multiple injuries,” said Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi.
“It was a group of boys surfing, and unfortunately one of them fell onto the tracks and his head was chopped off,” he said.
Authorities, notably Metrorail, have over the years been grappling with the problem of train surfing, which has become a popular pastime among young people.
Such has been its appeal among the youth that some of them have bonded into rival groups to compete against one another.
To others, it’s more about fun, thrills and status.
Some surf on top of the trains’ carriage roofs, risking being electrocuted by the high-voltage power lines overhead.
Loyiso’s tragic death has left his family, friends, schoolmates and paramedics traumatised.
At the Chiawelo station, a vendor said he was shocked by the sight of Loyiso’s mangled body.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. When the paramedics were removing his body, it was in two pieces,” he said.
Equally shocked were Loyiso’s schoolmates and friends, according to Mulaudzi, who had visited the accident scene.
“You should have seen them there at the station. They were affected by what they saw but the principal who was at the scene assured us that they would get counselling,” he said.
Mulaudzi added that they had a similar case just last week.
“We had another schoolchild in Mayfair who died while doing this. It’s a trend that’s coming up and we want to urge them to refrain from it.”
Loyiso had been on his way from his home in Finetown, near Lenasia, when he was allegedly coaxed into doing something he’d never done before, according to a school staff member.
“From what I know, this is the first time he (Loyiso) did something like that,” said the staffer, who asked to remain anonymous.
“He was a nice, humble boy who was doing science subjects,” he added.
Loyiso’s family were too distraught to speak much, saying only that Loyiso’s father had suddenly taken ill after his son died.
He was seen crying hysterically at the scene of the incident.
“He’s not well. We’re going to have to take him to the doctor,” said a family representative.
Mulaudzi advised schoolchildren not to take part in train surfing and other dangerous activities.
“Schoolchildren should refrain from such a dangerous exercise. They think it’s smart to jump in and out but they should learn from seeing this child dying.”
The manager of Metrorail in Gauteng, Tembela Kulu, said the company was involved in educating the community about train safety.
She said Metrorail employees conducted a campaign called Safety Friday, which included visiting schools to address pupils.
She added that security guards were deployed to patrol the trains.
“I must also add that at each station we have security, but we are aware that sometimes surfing happen outside the station environment, hence security patrol trains,” she said.
Kulu couldn’t say if there were guards monitoring the train at the time the Soweto teen was killed.
The Star