Metrorail mayhem!
Gun shots were fired during a robbery on a Metrorail train ride from Stellenbosch to Eerster River earlier this week, Metrorail reported.
Cape Town Lately spoke to some of the victims:
One victim was travelling home on a Metrorail train from Stellenbosch station when three robbers held passengers by gun point in first class and third class. They were after all valuables, with an aggressive approach. The robbers were identifiable.
Cape Town Lately reported the incident occurred between Lyndoch and Eerste River stations on the Northern Line, which is considered one of the most dangerous train lines in Cape Town.
The victims said, “They started robbing and shooting in first class and then moved to third class. If you didn’t give your things or if you don’t have anything to give, they’d shoot you. If shooting in a train is not bad enough, how about witnessing a guy getting shot next to you?”
“I am okay. I just pray those who got hurt will recover. It is not cool when innocent people have to die in this manner.”
When the train stopped in between stations, the robbers jumped off the train, but the situation then worsened. “The robbers shot during the train ride. Once they jumped off, they started shooting at the train through the windows and carriages. More people got injured,” the victim said.
The victim said she doesn’t believe that Metrorails’s safety issues will change in the near future. Metrorail has come under mass scrutiny recently because of a lack of safety and security structures and poor public service.