Wrecked MyCiTi stations to be rebuilt
The City’s plans to rebuild Dunoon and Joe Slovo’s three MyCiTi stations - wrecked by vandalism and civil unrest - have been welcomed by the two communities.
In 2020, riots in Dunoon and Joe Slovo cost the City up to R8 million in damages when two buses and the Dunoon Station on Potsdam Road were stoned and set alight (“Protests cost City millions,” Tabetalk, June 24, 2020).
In 2018, Phoenix Station, since renamed Freedom Station, was stoned and torched along with two MyCiTi buses (“MyCiTi bears brunt of anger,” Tabletalk, May 18, 2018). The Usasaza Station was also stoned, torched and vandalised during the unrest.
MyCiTi services were introduced to Dunoon and Joe Slovo in 2013, and several incidents of vandalism at the MyCiTi stations serving the communities followed.
Mayoral committee member for urban mobility Rob Quintas said the project to rebuild the abandoned Dunoon, Freedom and Usasaza stations would start “soon” and be finished by November 2025 if all went to plan.
“These stations need to be rebuilt so that the residents who depend on this reliable and safe public transport service can have easy access to the MyCiTi network again, from as close to home as possible,” he said.
“Measures will be put in place to mitigate the risk of these closed station buildings being damaged again and to ensure continuity of operations. It was of utmost importance to us that we restore the MyCiTi services at the three destroyed stations, but with enhanced security and vandal-resistant measures,” he said.
Based on lessons learnt, the new stations would include stronger building materials and better security, Mr Quintas said.
“The sites will be fenced with a security presence while work is under way. Residents are urged to help protect these community assets and ensure the safety of our teams by reporting vandalism, theft and safety concerns.”
Tabletalk asked the City how much the project would cost, but we did not get an answer by time of publication.
Dunoon mother of three Thandokazi Mlonyeni said her children struggled to get to and from school because of the wrecked stations.
“My eldest, she's 17 now, used to take the bus to school in Joe Slovo. It was so convenient for her because the bus would drop her just a few metres away from her school at Sinenjongo High School. But then when all the protesting and the burning of buses and stations happened, she had to take a taxi.
“Taxis are sometimes unreliable, and sometimes the reckless driving from the taxi drivers scares me. But we have no choice but to take a taxi because of the vandalism. So I am really happy to hear that they are rebuilding. Perhaps my daughter will be done with school by the time they finish building it, but my other children will surely benefit from this.”
Joe Slovo resident Khanya Dikela said: “I use the MyCiTi bus to go to work. However, since the burning of the station near Sinenjongo, I’ve had to walk a little further to the Omuramba Station. This walk gets dangerous because it requires me to cut through a dodgy alley where muggers hang around. Lots of people get robbed there while they travel to and from work. Rebuilding the station near us will not just be convenient, but it will be much safer and give us peace of mind.”
Nonkosi Hani, of Joe Slovo, welcomed the news of the station-rebuilding project, but said she feared it could be threatened by taxi operators and “jealous” individuals who “don’t want good things to happen in our community”.
