Ward 59 councillor Mikhail Manuel hopes his online petition to have the railway fence along Rosebank station replaced will gain enough momentum to apply pressure on the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
Mr Manuel had started the online petition in April already but a recent incident where criminals used the fence as part of an escape route has made the matter urgent.
He is calling on Prasa to replace and not repair the 2km stretch of fence from Kelvin Road in Rondebosch to Guildford Road in Rosebank.
“Prasa is repairing the holes in the rusty, rickety mesh and I thank them for this but this is not the solution. While Prasa is focused on restoring the rail service and rail tracks it can not neglect its responsibilities and needs to have a plan and budget to repair broken fences,” he said.
Rondebosch police spokesman Warrant Officer Lyndon Sisam said there had been two incidents since the start of July where the fence had been used as a thoroughfare to escape police.
“In the early-hours of Tuesday July 12, car breakers inside Oak Glen Road ( Nursery Road) used the rail as an escape route. On Monday August 1 at 00.11am an intruder broke open a refuse room at Guildford Place and disappeared using the rail as an escape route,” he said.
Warrant Officer Sisam said the old, broken fence gave criminals easy access to and from Guildford and Lower Nursery Roads and all the way towards the Mowbray precinct.
“It is vital that Prasa action the immediate repair of the fence for the safety of the community,” he said.
Prasa spokeswoman Nana Zenani said they had not received any complaints over the stretch of fence. She added: “We have an ‘as and when’ contract for the maintenance and repairs for fencing in the Western Cape region. The costs of repairs or replacing depends on the stretch of the area to be fixed and the extent of the damage.”
Mr Manuel said he had received numerous complaints over the fence and said the repairing of holes was simply not enough.
“As the elected public representative for Ward 59, I am asking all residents to join me in calling on Prasa to replace the fence with a high and durable fence that prevents the Metrorail Southern Line from being used as a conduit for crime,” he said.
To sign the petition, visit https://www.petitions.net/prasa_fix_the_fence