END OF THE LINE
This Karoo town exists because of the railway that runs through it.
In 1884, a line was constructed, linking the interior to the coast.
The first railway houses were built.
Slowly, a town developed, to provide for the railway community.
Noupoort near Middelburg eventually became one of the busiest junctions in the country.
These days trains never stop at Noupoort Station. They barely even slow down.
The buildings that once teemed with activity exude only silence and decay.
Railway residences give no hint of the life they once contained.
Noupoort is home to one of the biggest shunting yards in South Africa. Now it lies forgotten.
Infrastructure worth millions has been abandoned to the elements.
The town once revolved around the railway. Ironically the railway also led to its demise...when a decision was made to close the depot, to move the workers and their families.
The scaling down of railway activity has had a devastating effect on towns throughout the Karoo.
There's no employment, no buying power.
Down the line is Norvalspont... a thriving rail head when the nearby Gariep Dam was being built.
But not anymore.
I GREW UP IN THIS AREA AND OUR LIFE REVOLVED AROUND THE STATION. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY, I CAN REMEMBER COMING IN TO FETCH THE MAIL, TO DELIVER THE CREAM, WE COLLECTED OUR NEWSPAPER...(pick up) AND ALL OUR PRODUCE WAS SENT BY RAIL, OUR HORSES WERE SENT TO MARKET, IF WE SOLD LUCERNE THIS WAS ALL SENT BY RAIL AND WITH THE ADVENT OF ROAD TRANSPORT THIS HAS FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE...
Sizwe Dyasi is acting manager of the Umsobomvu Local Council, which governs the area.
He's based in Colesberg, which has been amalgamated with towns like Norvalspont and Noupoort.
WHATEVER PROBLEMS THEY HAVE FINANCIALLY AS A MUNICIPALITY THAT SIDE, WE'VE INHERITED THOSE
WE CAN FEEL IT IN THE MUNICIPAL SIDE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING THEIR SERVICES AND THEY CAN ONLY PAY THEIR SERVICES IF THEY'VE GOT WORK.
Colesberg station has been downgraded to a ticket office and has also fallen into disrepair.
IF YOU LOOK AROUND OUR STATIONS, THEY ARE ACTUALLY GHOST STATIONS, NO WINDOW PANES, NO DOORS, NO ANYTHING. BUILDINGS ARE GETTING DELAPIDATED. MY WISH WILL BE LET THEM UTILIZE THIS INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITIES. THEY MUST BRING BACK THE SERVICES THEY HAD BEFORE. MAYBE ON A LESSER SCALE, BUT AT LEAST HALF A BREAD IS BETTER THAN NO BREAD AT ALL...JA...(smiles)
Spoornet, which operates South Africa's main rail network, is one of the biggest landowners in the country.
It HAS allowed some members of the community to utilize its abandoned assets.
The only project on the go in Noupoort is a drug rehabilitation centre, run by a Christian group.
It rents warehouses from Spoornet for a nominal fee.
But the local council says this isn't benefitting the whole community.
SINCE 1996 WE HAVE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM TO TRY TO PLOUGH SOMETHING BACK FOR THE COMMUNITY. BUT UP TILL THIS STAGE, NO RESPONSE.
WHILST THE BUILDINGS ARE JUST STANDING HERE AS WHITE ELEPHANTS DOING NOTHING
What also infuriates the Council is that the railway workers were moved to a minor junction called Rosmead... near Middelburg in the Karoo.
Rosmead is much smaller than Noupoort and the move made no economic sense.
Today, the most striking thing about the Rosmead area is the rolling stock that stretches for kilometres, seemingly abandoned in the veld.
But the goldfish in the pond have died - and so has the town.
Residents say they're virtually stranded.
Nowadays, the Trans Karoo mainline passenger train stops for only two minutes in the dead of night.
Mina Ordman's late husband worked on the railways for 30-years.
She and other former railway families have to pay Spoornet rent of 300-rands a month to live in this desolate spot.
The railway that was once the lifeline of communities is now contributing to social and economic collapse.
[ALLOW PAN TO END]
Spoornet says it had no option.
THE BRANCH LINES WERE ORIGINALLY BUILT FOR STRATEGIC PURPOSES AND TO SUPPORT CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL FUNCTIONS AND TO OPEN UP THE COUNTRY. AT THAT STAGE THE ALTERNATIVE TO ROAD WAS TO BUILD RAIL AND IT WAS A VERY CHEAP OPTION AND WE ALSO OPERATED FAIRLY CHEAPLY WITH STEAM, USING COAL.
BUT WITH THE DEMISE IN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES IN THE RURAL AREAS, SEEING THAT WE ARE A DERIVED ECONOMY, IF THERE'S NOTHING TO TRANSPORT, THERE'S NOTHING TO TRANSPORT.
Petrus Martens lives in another Karoo town... Hutchison. He says Spoornet should be thinking of people, not profit.
He's bitter about what has happened to the railway community in the platteland.
SINCE COMMERCIALISATION IN 1990,THAT TIME I WAS STILL AN EMPLOYEE OF TRANSNET, THEY STARTED TO SHUT DOWN SOME OF THE OPERATIONS, AND THEN WHEN THEY BECAME A PRIVATE COMPANY, SPOORNET STARTED TO RETRENCH PEOPLE AND YOU CAN SEE AROUND HERE, ON THAT SIDE IT USED TO BE THE SHOPS, THERE WAS A SHOP AND A BUTCHERY, TODAY THERE IS NOTHING. OUT OF 62 HOUSEHOLDS HERE, ONLY FIVE ARE STILL WORKING FOR TRANSNET. MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE PENSIONERS AND OTHERS ARE UNEMPLOYED AND STILL HAVE TO LIVE.
Amid these tales of despair, Government has to make a decision about the future of the railways.
It's studying two sets of proposals: one from international consultants, who were paid ten-million rands for their services; the other from advisors to Spoornet.
The Department of Public Enterprises will make the final the decision... but they won't discuss the options.
Nor will Spoornet management.
But the parliamentary transport committee has been encouraging public debate.
The profitable lines are those that carry iron ore and coal. At the moment, these are subsidizing Spoornet's loss-making lines.
Transport unions have their consultants too.
Labour and Economic Development Institute, NALEDI, advises against concessioning.
IF YOU BREAK THE COMPANY UP AND CONCESSION IT OFF, PRIVATE SECTOR OPERATORS WILL ONLY REALLY BE INTERESTED IN OPERATING THE PROFITABLE LINES AND THEY WILL NEGLECT, RUN DOWN OR CLOSE WHAT IS NOT PROFITABLE. AND YOU ARE ALREADY SEEING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT KIND OF APPROACH, SO BRINGING INPRIVATE SECTOR OPERATORS WOULD ONLY EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM AND ONLY DISCONNECT MORE COMMUNITIES AND MORE SECTIONS OF OUR SOCIETY.
Unions say internationally, privatisation of the railways has failed. Private rail companies can't afford to upgrade infrastructure and safety is compromised.
WE SAY THAT SPOORNET IS AN ASSET OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY. WE ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE SPOORNET TO ANY INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT COMING FROM UK OR AMERICA OR ANYWHERE. SPOORNET WILL REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA!!
WE POTENTIALLY HAVE INDUSTRIAL MUSCLE TO USE AND WILL USE IT IF NEED BE, IN THE INTEREST OF NOT ONLY RAILWAY WORKERS, BUT IN THE INTERESTS OF THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY AND WE BELIEVE IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE.
I WAS VERY PUZZLED ABOUT THAT SATAWU MARCH OR THE REASONS FOR IT. SATAWU HAS BEEN GIVEN PREFERENCE ABOVE OTHER UNIONS TO MEET WITH GOVERNMENT AND THEY HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT, TALKING, STATING THEIR POINT OF VIEW. THEY'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF MAKING SUBMISSIONS AND A SPECIAL TASK TEAM WAS SET UP WHICH INCLUDES SATAWU, TO LOOK AT ALL THESE MATTERS. I REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC OF THAT MARCH
_________________________________
[AD BREAK]
__________________________________
[PART 2]
The railway station at Greylingstad closed more than ten years ago.
The town is close to the the Mpumalanga-Gauteng border... and is steeped in history.
A railway line was built in 1894, linking Johannesburg to Durban. Greylingstad sprang up alongside it.
The railway was used extensively by the British, who occupied this area during the South African war.
But it's no longer important to anyone. At about the same time the station was closed, a new road to Durban was built, bypassing Greylingstad.
Town councillor Saul Mahlangu can't believe the authorities at the time could've been so short-sighted...to deal the town this double blow.
PEOPLE WERE NOT CONSULTED WHEN THIS HAPPENED...THINGS JUST HAPPENED. BANKS CLOSED DOWN, REALLY THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T HAVE A SAY ON THAT. BECAUSE NOW IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE THAT THE POST OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT AFFECT THE LIVES OF THE COMMUNITY DIRECTLY...
Businesses that haven't yet closed, are struggling
Sarie Bekker has lived here for close on 50-years. She's watched the town steadily decline.
THE COUNTRY TOWNS ARE ALL DYING OUT. YOU GET GREYLINGSTAD, YOU GET PERDEKOP...[pick up...00 08 15 05 - 00 08 31 19] I THINK THOSE IN POWER HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SMALL TOWNS, THEY'RE NOT BOTHERED ABOUT THEM REALLY. THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE AT ALL IN THE SMALL TOWNS, TO KEEP THE TOWNS ALIVE, THEY SHOULD BUILD SMALL LITTLE FACTORIES. IT'S THE ONLY WAY THE SMALL TOWNS CAN STAY ALIVE
Some farmers in the district still use the railways to transport their produce, but not many.
Spoornet is no longer interested in servicing small customers.
IF THE FARMER CAN OFFER US A TRAINLOAD, WE WILL BE INTERESTED. IF THE FARMER OFFERS US A MILKCAN, I DON'T THINK WE'RE INTERESTED.
But many farmers say the inefficiencies of the railways drove them away.
A container moving from Durban to Johannesburg takes over four days by rail, just half a day by road.
YOU'RE BOUND BY TIME. IN BUSINESS MOST OF US WORK DIFFERENT HOURS TO WHAT THE RAILWAYS DO. WE WORK THROUGH WEEKENDS. THE RAILWAYS STOP ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND ONLY OPEN ON A MONDAY. WHEREAS IN PRIVATE BUSINESS WE WORK SATURDAYS AND IF LOADS MUST GO ON A SUNDAY, THEY GO ON A SUNDAY.
ONE WANTS YOUR PRODUCT TO BE MOVED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, IT'S PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, WE'RE THERE TO MAKE MONEY AND IT IS KILLING THE ROADS, I'LL ADMIT THAT...BUT I THINK THEY MUST UPGRADE THE ROADS.
THE COSTS OF KEEPING ROADS GOING, THE COSTS OF THE HEAVY TRAFFIC ON ROADS, THE COSTS OF ROAD ACCIDENTS, CONGESTION, POLLUTION FROM THE FUEL USED BY THE TRUCKS, ALL OF THESE KINDS OF COSTS, THE BROADER SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND HEALTH COSTS AND SO ON ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN SPOORNET LOOKS AT A LINE AND SAYS THIS IS NOT PROFITABLE AND WE NEED TO FIND A WAY OF TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THOSE BROADER ISSUES BEFORE CONSIDERING WHETHER A LINE IS REDUNDANT OR NOT.
DEREGULATION OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT ON OUR ROADS HAS CAUSED TREMENDOUS PROBLEMS...THE MAJOR PROBLEM OF OVERLOADING HAS TO BE DEALT WITH AND WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT WAYS OF TIGHTENING UP THE LAW, IMPOSING BIGGER PENALTIES FOR OVERLOADING, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT OVERLOADING IS ACTUALLY DEALT WITH. IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR PROGRAM TO SHIFT FROM ROAD TO RAIL.
THE PROBLEM IS AND THE PROBLEM WE SEE AS A UNION IS THAT IF GOVERNMENT INSISTS ON PERSUING ITS CURRENT THINKING AROUND THE FUTURE OF RAIL, AND THIS IS THE CONCESSIONING OUT OF LINES, CLOSING CERTAIN BRANCH LINES AND SO ON, THE SMALL POSITIVE IMPACT OF CLAMPING DOWN ON OVERLOADING WILL BE COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED BY A MUCH LONGER AND MORE SERIOUS IMPACT OF SHIFTING EVEN MORE FREIGHT ONTO THE ROADS.
If Government heeds the advice of its consultants, more branch lines will be closed. This could result in the almost half the total rail network disappearing... a staggering 10-thousand kilometres of track!
Over the past three years, about four-thousand kilometres of rail has literally slipped off the map.
The branch line between Bethal and Volksrust in Mpumalanga is one of the latest to go.
Spoornet's depot at Volksrust is to close at the end of April.
The station closed six years ago. The building, once a national monument, is in ruins.
Workers have been told to relocate to Newcastle, 60-kilometres away.
It's a problem for Thomas Hlatshwayo.
He doesn't want to leave. There's no other work in town and there's no market for property.
WHEN YOU START TO RATIONALIZE, YOU HAVE TO SAY: WHERE'S YOUR BEST POSITION TO HAVE YOUR DRIVERS LOCATED? AND THE BEST POSITION WAS NOT VOLKSRUST.
Soon the only reminder of Volksrust's railway heritage will be the historic steam train in the centre of the town.
Should the government heed the advice of its consultants and privatise Spoornet, unions estimate a loss of 15-thousand jobs.
THERE'S A HELLUVA LOT WE CAN DO THAT IS POSITIVE FOR THE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY IN RESPECT OF RAIL. RAIL CAN BECOME IN OUR VIEW,THE STIMULANT FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN MANY OF OUR POORER PROVINCES, BUT IT MEANS A COMMITMENT FROM NATIONAL, LOCAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY AND WORKERS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN - AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SAYING - EXPAND THAT NETWORK, INVEST INTO THAT NETWORK, DON'T CUT IT UP INTO SMALL PIECES AND MAKE IT GO AWAY...
South Africa was once stitched together by its railway system. Now it's coming undone.
And unless the economy of the country is in some way built around it, it isn't likely to be restored to its former glory.
This Karoo town exists because of the railway that runs through it.
In 1884, a line was constructed, linking the interior to the coast.
The first railway houses were built.
Slowly, a town developed, to provide for the railway community.
Noupoort near Middelburg eventually became one of the busiest junctions in the country.
These days trains never stop at Noupoort Station. They barely even slow down.
The buildings that once teemed with activity exude only silence and decay.
Railway residences give no hint of the life they once contained.
Noupoort is home to one of the biggest shunting yards in South Africa. Now it lies forgotten.
Infrastructure worth millions has been abandoned to the elements.
The town once revolved around the railway. Ironically the railway also led to its demise...when a decision was made to close the depot, to move the workers and their families.
The scaling down of railway activity has had a devastating effect on towns throughout the Karoo.
There's no employment, no buying power.
Down the line is Norvalspont... a thriving rail head when the nearby Gariep Dam was being built.
But not anymore.
I GREW UP IN THIS AREA AND OUR LIFE REVOLVED AROUND THE STATION. WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY, I CAN REMEMBER COMING IN TO FETCH THE MAIL, TO DELIVER THE CREAM, WE COLLECTED OUR NEWSPAPER...(pick up) AND ALL OUR PRODUCE WAS SENT BY RAIL, OUR HORSES WERE SENT TO MARKET, IF WE SOLD LUCERNE THIS WAS ALL SENT BY RAIL AND WITH THE ADVENT OF ROAD TRANSPORT THIS HAS FALLEN BY THE WAYSIDE...
Sizwe Dyasi is acting manager of the Umsobomvu Local Council, which governs the area.
He's based in Colesberg, which has been amalgamated with towns like Norvalspont and Noupoort.
WHATEVER PROBLEMS THEY HAVE FINANCIALLY AS A MUNICIPALITY THAT SIDE, WE'VE INHERITED THOSE
WE CAN FEEL IT IN THE MUNICIPAL SIDE BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE NOT PAYING THEIR SERVICES AND THEY CAN ONLY PAY THEIR SERVICES IF THEY'VE GOT WORK.
Colesberg station has been downgraded to a ticket office and has also fallen into disrepair.
IF YOU LOOK AROUND OUR STATIONS, THEY ARE ACTUALLY GHOST STATIONS, NO WINDOW PANES, NO DOORS, NO ANYTHING. BUILDINGS ARE GETTING DELAPIDATED. MY WISH WILL BE LET THEM UTILIZE THIS INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITIES. THEY MUST BRING BACK THE SERVICES THEY HAD BEFORE. MAYBE ON A LESSER SCALE, BUT AT LEAST HALF A BREAD IS BETTER THAN NO BREAD AT ALL...JA...(smiles)
Spoornet, which operates South Africa's main rail network, is one of the biggest landowners in the country.
It HAS allowed some members of the community to utilize its abandoned assets.
The only project on the go in Noupoort is a drug rehabilitation centre, run by a Christian group.
It rents warehouses from Spoornet for a nominal fee.
But the local council says this isn't benefitting the whole community.
SINCE 1996 WE HAVE NEGOTIATING WITH THEM TO TRY TO PLOUGH SOMETHING BACK FOR THE COMMUNITY. BUT UP TILL THIS STAGE, NO RESPONSE.
WHILST THE BUILDINGS ARE JUST STANDING HERE AS WHITE ELEPHANTS DOING NOTHING
What also infuriates the Council is that the railway workers were moved to a minor junction called Rosmead... near Middelburg in the Karoo.
Rosmead is much smaller than Noupoort and the move made no economic sense.
Today, the most striking thing about the Rosmead area is the rolling stock that stretches for kilometres, seemingly abandoned in the veld.
But the goldfish in the pond have died - and so has the town.
Residents say they're virtually stranded.
Nowadays, the Trans Karoo mainline passenger train stops for only two minutes in the dead of night.
Mina Ordman's late husband worked on the railways for 30-years.
She and other former railway families have to pay Spoornet rent of 300-rands a month to live in this desolate spot.
The railway that was once the lifeline of communities is now contributing to social and economic collapse.
[ALLOW PAN TO END]
Spoornet says it had no option.
THE BRANCH LINES WERE ORIGINALLY BUILT FOR STRATEGIC PURPOSES AND TO SUPPORT CERTAIN AGRICULTURAL FUNCTIONS AND TO OPEN UP THE COUNTRY. AT THAT STAGE THE ALTERNATIVE TO ROAD WAS TO BUILD RAIL AND IT WAS A VERY CHEAP OPTION AND WE ALSO OPERATED FAIRLY CHEAPLY WITH STEAM, USING COAL.
BUT WITH THE DEMISE IN INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES IN THE RURAL AREAS, SEEING THAT WE ARE A DERIVED ECONOMY, IF THERE'S NOTHING TO TRANSPORT, THERE'S NOTHING TO TRANSPORT.
Petrus Martens lives in another Karoo town... Hutchison. He says Spoornet should be thinking of people, not profit.
He's bitter about what has happened to the railway community in the platteland.
SINCE COMMERCIALISATION IN 1990,THAT TIME I WAS STILL AN EMPLOYEE OF TRANSNET, THEY STARTED TO SHUT DOWN SOME OF THE OPERATIONS, AND THEN WHEN THEY BECAME A PRIVATE COMPANY, SPOORNET STARTED TO RETRENCH PEOPLE AND YOU CAN SEE AROUND HERE, ON THAT SIDE IT USED TO BE THE SHOPS, THERE WAS A SHOP AND A BUTCHERY, TODAY THERE IS NOTHING. OUT OF 62 HOUSEHOLDS HERE, ONLY FIVE ARE STILL WORKING FOR TRANSNET. MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE ARE PENSIONERS AND OTHERS ARE UNEMPLOYED AND STILL HAVE TO LIVE.
Amid these tales of despair, Government has to make a decision about the future of the railways.
It's studying two sets of proposals: one from international consultants, who were paid ten-million rands for their services; the other from advisors to Spoornet.
The Department of Public Enterprises will make the final the decision... but they won't discuss the options.
Nor will Spoornet management.
But the parliamentary transport committee has been encouraging public debate.
The profitable lines are those that carry iron ore and coal. At the moment, these are subsidizing Spoornet's loss-making lines.
Transport unions have their consultants too.
Labour and Economic Development Institute, NALEDI, advises against concessioning.
IF YOU BREAK THE COMPANY UP AND CONCESSION IT OFF, PRIVATE SECTOR OPERATORS WILL ONLY REALLY BE INTERESTED IN OPERATING THE PROFITABLE LINES AND THEY WILL NEGLECT, RUN DOWN OR CLOSE WHAT IS NOT PROFITABLE. AND YOU ARE ALREADY SEEING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT KIND OF APPROACH, SO BRINGING INPRIVATE SECTOR OPERATORS WOULD ONLY EXACERBATE THE PROBLEM AND ONLY DISCONNECT MORE COMMUNITIES AND MORE SECTIONS OF OUR SOCIETY.
Unions say internationally, privatisation of the railways has failed. Private rail companies can't afford to upgrade infrastructure and safety is compromised.
WE SAY THAT SPOORNET IS AN ASSET OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS COUNTRY. WE ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE SPOORNET TO ANY INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT COMING FROM UK OR AMERICA OR ANYWHERE. SPOORNET WILL REMAIN THE PROPERTY OF THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA!!
WE POTENTIALLY HAVE INDUSTRIAL MUSCLE TO USE AND WILL USE IT IF NEED BE, IN THE INTEREST OF NOT ONLY RAILWAY WORKERS, BUT IN THE INTERESTS OF THE TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY AND WE BELIEVE IN THE INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE.
I WAS VERY PUZZLED ABOUT THAT SATAWU MARCH OR THE REASONS FOR IT. SATAWU HAS BEEN GIVEN PREFERENCE ABOVE OTHER UNIONS TO MEET WITH GOVERNMENT AND THEY HAVE BEEN MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT, TALKING, STATING THEIR POINT OF VIEW. THEY'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF MAKING SUBMISSIONS AND A SPECIAL TASK TEAM WAS SET UP WHICH INCLUDES SATAWU, TO LOOK AT ALL THESE MATTERS. I REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC OF THAT MARCH
_________________________________
[AD BREAK]
__________________________________
[PART 2]
The railway station at Greylingstad closed more than ten years ago.
The town is close to the the Mpumalanga-Gauteng border... and is steeped in history.
A railway line was built in 1894, linking Johannesburg to Durban. Greylingstad sprang up alongside it.
The railway was used extensively by the British, who occupied this area during the South African war.
But it's no longer important to anyone. At about the same time the station was closed, a new road to Durban was built, bypassing Greylingstad.
Town councillor Saul Mahlangu can't believe the authorities at the time could've been so short-sighted...to deal the town this double blow.
PEOPLE WERE NOT CONSULTED WHEN THIS HAPPENED...THINGS JUST HAPPENED. BANKS CLOSED DOWN, REALLY THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T HAVE A SAY ON THAT. BECAUSE NOW IT'S EVEN POSSIBLE THAT THE POST OFFICE WILL BE CLOSED AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT AFFECT THE LIVES OF THE COMMUNITY DIRECTLY...
Businesses that haven't yet closed, are struggling
Sarie Bekker has lived here for close on 50-years. She's watched the town steadily decline.
THE COUNTRY TOWNS ARE ALL DYING OUT. YOU GET GREYLINGSTAD, YOU GET PERDEKOP...[pick up...00 08 15 05 - 00 08 31 19] I THINK THOSE IN POWER HAVE FORGOTTEN THE SMALL TOWNS, THEY'RE NOT BOTHERED ABOUT THEM REALLY. THERE'S NO INFRASTRUCTURE AT ALL IN THE SMALL TOWNS, TO KEEP THE TOWNS ALIVE, THEY SHOULD BUILD SMALL LITTLE FACTORIES. IT'S THE ONLY WAY THE SMALL TOWNS CAN STAY ALIVE
Some farmers in the district still use the railways to transport their produce, but not many.
Spoornet is no longer interested in servicing small customers.
IF THE FARMER CAN OFFER US A TRAINLOAD, WE WILL BE INTERESTED. IF THE FARMER OFFERS US A MILKCAN, I DON'T THINK WE'RE INTERESTED.
But many farmers say the inefficiencies of the railways drove them away.
A container moving from Durban to Johannesburg takes over four days by rail, just half a day by road.
YOU'RE BOUND BY TIME. IN BUSINESS MOST OF US WORK DIFFERENT HOURS TO WHAT THE RAILWAYS DO. WE WORK THROUGH WEEKENDS. THE RAILWAYS STOP ON A FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND ONLY OPEN ON A MONDAY. WHEREAS IN PRIVATE BUSINESS WE WORK SATURDAYS AND IF LOADS MUST GO ON A SUNDAY, THEY GO ON A SUNDAY.
ONE WANTS YOUR PRODUCT TO BE MOVED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, IT'S PRIVATE ENTERPRISE, WE'RE THERE TO MAKE MONEY AND IT IS KILLING THE ROADS, I'LL ADMIT THAT...BUT I THINK THEY MUST UPGRADE THE ROADS.
THE COSTS OF KEEPING ROADS GOING, THE COSTS OF THE HEAVY TRAFFIC ON ROADS, THE COSTS OF ROAD ACCIDENTS, CONGESTION, POLLUTION FROM THE FUEL USED BY THE TRUCKS, ALL OF THESE KINDS OF COSTS, THE BROADER SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND HEALTH COSTS AND SO ON ARE NOT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT WHEN SPOORNET LOOKS AT A LINE AND SAYS THIS IS NOT PROFITABLE AND WE NEED TO FIND A WAY OF TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALL THOSE BROADER ISSUES BEFORE CONSIDERING WHETHER A LINE IS REDUNDANT OR NOT.
DEREGULATION OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT ON OUR ROADS HAS CAUSED TREMENDOUS PROBLEMS...THE MAJOR PROBLEM OF OVERLOADING HAS TO BE DEALT WITH AND WE ARE CURRENTLY LOOKING AT WAYS OF TIGHTENING UP THE LAW, IMPOSING BIGGER PENALTIES FOR OVERLOADING, BUT ALSO MAKING SURE THAT OVERLOADING IS ACTUALLY DEALT WITH. IT IS A VERY IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR PROGRAM TO SHIFT FROM ROAD TO RAIL.
THE PROBLEM IS AND THE PROBLEM WE SEE AS A UNION IS THAT IF GOVERNMENT INSISTS ON PERSUING ITS CURRENT THINKING AROUND THE FUTURE OF RAIL, AND THIS IS THE CONCESSIONING OUT OF LINES, CLOSING CERTAIN BRANCH LINES AND SO ON, THE SMALL POSITIVE IMPACT OF CLAMPING DOWN ON OVERLOADING WILL BE COMPLETELY OVERWHELMED BY A MUCH LONGER AND MORE SERIOUS IMPACT OF SHIFTING EVEN MORE FREIGHT ONTO THE ROADS.
If Government heeds the advice of its consultants, more branch lines will be closed. This could result in the almost half the total rail network disappearing... a staggering 10-thousand kilometres of track!
Over the past three years, about four-thousand kilometres of rail has literally slipped off the map.
The branch line between Bethal and Volksrust in Mpumalanga is one of the latest to go.
Spoornet's depot at Volksrust is to close at the end of April.
The station closed six years ago. The building, once a national monument, is in ruins.
Workers have been told to relocate to Newcastle, 60-kilometres away.
It's a problem for Thomas Hlatshwayo.
He doesn't want to leave. There's no other work in town and there's no market for property.
WHEN YOU START TO RATIONALIZE, YOU HAVE TO SAY: WHERE'S YOUR BEST POSITION TO HAVE YOUR DRIVERS LOCATED? AND THE BEST POSITION WAS NOT VOLKSRUST.
Soon the only reminder of Volksrust's railway heritage will be the historic steam train in the centre of the town.
Should the government heed the advice of its consultants and privatise Spoornet, unions estimate a loss of 15-thousand jobs.
THERE'S A HELLUVA LOT WE CAN DO THAT IS POSITIVE FOR THE ECONOMY OF THE COUNTRY IN RESPECT OF RAIL. RAIL CAN BECOME IN OUR VIEW,THE STIMULANT FOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN MANY OF OUR POORER PROVINCES, BUT IT MEANS A COMMITMENT FROM NATIONAL, LOCAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY AND WORKERS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN - AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SAYING - EXPAND THAT NETWORK, INVEST INTO THAT NETWORK, DON'T CUT IT UP INTO SMALL PIECES AND MAKE IT GO AWAY...
South Africa was once stitched together by its railway system. Now it's coming undone.
And unless the economy of the country is in some way built around it, it isn't likely to be restored to its former glory.