Metrorail Gauteng is saddened to announce the sudden and tragic passing on of one of the members from Protection Services in Gauteng South. The deceased, Mr Joseph Koena, was a Protection Official (PO) suffered fatal injuries after he was severely assaulted by members of a protesting community this morning at Nancefield station.
Mr Goodman Matampi, Acting Gauteng Metrorail Provincial Manager on behalf of the organization would like to convey sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and to colleagues in Gauteng. “We have truly lost a committed, hardworking and dedicated soldier, who died in line of duty. We will forever remember him and his contributions”.
In the interest of ensuring a safe operational environment, all train services between Vereeniging and Johannesburg (via Midway) have been temporarily suspended until it is safe to resume operations. Matampi highlighted that the section between Nancefield and Houtheuwel is notorious for cable theft which severely affects the reliability of services in the corridor.
The train service between Germiston – Vereeniging line via Meyerton will be increased by four train sets to accommodate commuters from Vereeniging during the period of suspension.
Gauteng Metrorail Protection Services together with law enforcement agencies are on the ground to closely monitor the situation and will advise business when it is safe to resume the service.
Metrorail urges commuters to be patient and understand the circumstances that led to the suspension of the service. Management furthermore apologies to commuters for the inconvenience caused.
Metrorail appeals to communities to refrain from inconveniencing commuters by taking their frustrations to rail….
