Letters | Give Transport Minister Barbara Creecy a chance

Where has Transport Minister Barbara Creecy been for the past 30 years? I ask this question light-heartedly and with great relief. (And expectation.) She has launched a nationwide consultation over South Africa’s draft National Rail Master Plan (NRMP), “positioning rail as the backbone of the country’s struggling logistics system …” (The Witness, April 28).

In the wake of this launch, some very good news emerged: Cabinet approved the draft plan for public consultation on April 1. Pertaining to my question, here are some candid thoughts: Rail has been the “backbone of South Africa’s logistics and transport ecosystem” for more than a 100years. As such, it is a question of “re-positioning”.

As for South Africa’s “struggling logistics system”, the only ones struggling are our roads and the motorists. Trucking logistics runs the gauntlet. Lastly, there should have been no nationwide consultation process.

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It should have been an open and shut case. All proudly South Africans should positively engage, and support, this motion. Condolences to the trucking fraternity, who will naturally object to this rail rethink.

Just one question: Does Passenger Rail (Prasa) feature anywhere in this rethink? It’s a shame to think that two to three decades of our youth have never seen a beautifully lit-up passenger train powering through the night, let alone travel on one. Give her a chance, Creecy will fix this. SAA, our ports and everything else!

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