Railway crossing through Rasimone and Boshoek by Collen Raphata (Chaneng)
The railway crossing through Rasimone to Boshoek crosses the R556 road. This railway has been here for decades and it’s owned by the company called Spoornet and this company it’s one of the biggest companies in South Africa. This railway has claimed people’s lives, livestock and houses.
In 2010 there was a huge accident that caused life of the people who were in the minibus that was run over by the train and 8 passengers were injured.
On the 4th of October 2012 there was an accident between a train and taxi collusion that left nine people injured amongst which was an 8 months old baby and police were investigating reckless driving.
Again on the 6th of October 2013 another accident left a family homeless when a car got hit by a train and ran through two shacks, and ran over a little boy sleeping, fortunately he is alive and suffered critical injuries said the eye witness. (Quoted from the BUA MACHARORA newsletter, issue no.1 page 2) and four cows was run over again by train where the owners was never been compensated.
As I talk to one of the workers of the railway Mr Themba Zulu during the construction he told me that the company has decided to make an automatically boom gate that control it’s self so that they can slow down the accident . This was boom gate was built in 2013 December. I ask myself why was the boom gate only erected in Boshoek whereas is highly needed in Rasimone as this railway passes there and most accidents occur there. And there is fence fencing the railway for protection of wild animals and livestock.
Macharora community members who have livestock say they do not know whom must they talk to avoid their livestock being killed by this big steal monster.
