Angry commuters torched 27 carriages on four Metrorail trains at three Soweto stations on Wednesday night.
Upset that trains were running late, they set alight 16 coaches — six on an east-bound and 10 on a west-bound train — at Midway railway station on the Lenasia-Soweto border, said Johannesburg Emergency Management Services spokesperson Malcolm Midgley.
Another eight coaches were destroyed at Nancefield railway station on a 15-coach train bound for Vereeniging, and three more on a train of 12 coaches in Kliptown.
The incidents followed Tuesday’s burning of four carriages at the Residentia railway station, in Vereeniging, by commuters irate at an absence of train services at the Vereeniging, Stratford, Residentia and Lenasia stations following the theft of a cable from Viljoensdrift.
The burning of the four trains on Wednesday night is ”totally unacceptable”, Minister of Public Enterprises Alec Erwin said on Thursday morning.
”The minister has described these incidents as totally unacceptable and warned that such behaviour will not be tolerated,” said public enterprises spokesperson Gaynor Kast in a statement.
Metrorail has suspended all services in the area until further notice.
Commuters who witnessed the acts have been urged to come forward and assist police with their investigation.
The statement said Erwin reiterated the Cabinet’s commitment to ensuring an efficient transport system as well as the safety of all passengers. — Sapa