Four years after the Western Cape High Court put PRASA on terms to provide proper security for rail commuters, the court has issued another supervisory order to resolve the issue.The Western Cape High Court told Prasa to provide proper security for rail commuters, but the issue has never been resolved.
Since Judge President John Hlophe granted an order in 2019, the dispute between Prasa and existing service providers has come before five other judges. Bishop said this had prolonged the resolution of the dispute. Bishop said they believed quite reasonably that their contracts would continue to be renewed until the tender was finalised.The aggrieved companies went to court, arguing that this was not in the public interest because Prasa would not be able to ensure the safety of commuters.He also ordered Prasa to report back to the court within 30 days, giving details of the progress of the tender and the details of a safety contingency plan, approved by the Railway Safety Regulator.
"This concession was well-made," the judge said, noting that it was ultimately common cause that Prasa had not satisfied the conditions of the supervisory order.