So Honey Mateya, Metrorail CEO, will finally be subjected to scrutiny following his suspension last week. Transnet CEO Maria Ramos may find this a dignified way to facilitate his exit.
Mateya was mired in a mess not of his own making. But he did not help himself by using spin to hide the rot. He has offered formulaic, rigid responses to passenger complaints, often failed to display empathy with distressed commuters and has shown himself out of touch with their needs.
Passengers have become hardened to belated, hollow apologies for late trains. Claims about security guard deployment are contradicted by the inadequate service.
The troubles are historical. Economist Mike Schussler, who has worked for Transnet, traces Metrorail’s woes to insufficient subsidies and the grid.
Leapeetswe Molotsane, Transnet’s group executive for operations, confirms a subsidy is administered through the South African Rail Commuter Corporation to cover operating costs. But Schussler insists the parastatal is not subsidised on the same scale as, say, the London underground.
He stresses that the grid’s spine runs east-west from Springs to Randfontein, taking in Soweto and the Vaal. It does not reach north to such areas as Sandton and Midrand, where most development is happening.
As a result, taxis have won the passenger war, and will become even more dominant when the recapitalisation programme starts to deliver.
Schussler suggests Metrorail’s only hope is to be integrated into the municipal bus and taxi systems.
He also sees some viability in Metrorail’s long-distance Shosholoza Meyl, which links Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Schussler believes the “Shilowa Express”, the planned high-speed train between Johannesburg and Pretoria, is flawed in concept and should be given to Metrorail. Using the existing line, this would allow people to alight at nodes like Jeppe station to move on to Sandton.
Another key challenge for Ramos is Metrorail’s huge maintenance and infrastructure backlog. Molotsane said R400-million was earmarked for the overhaul of the fleet and rail infrastructure.
This suggests that fixing the public transport system could become a source of economic growth.
Metrorail could benefit from the huge numbers of unemployed and low-income South Africans, a natural market for its cheaper service. But without safety and reliability, even the poor will choose taxis and rentals nearer workplaces. I’ve seen them do it.
A functioning rail system could also ease the strain on national roads and the accommodation squeeze in central Johannesburg.
Molotane notes that Metrorail’s viability lies in an improved focus on safety and security and better customer service. Without Mateya at the helm, there is some hope of achieving these.