The City of Cape Town says it still plans to lodge an intergovernmental dispute on rail devolution – despite assurances from President Cyril Ramaphosa in Parliament last week that the timeframes set out in a White Paper were being adhered to, reports GroundUp.

During a Q&A session with Ramaphosa last week, DA leader John Steenhuisen asked whether he would make a policy decision ‘to support and expedite the devolution of passenger rail to competent metros’.

Steenhuisen referenced the urgency of it in light of the recent taxi strike in Cape Town and the cost of living crisis. In response, Ramaphosa said the Department of Transport had undertaken consultations with key stakeholders, including all provincial departments responsible for transport.

However, Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga denied the city’s request for devolution of rail as recently as May. 

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the city was in the process of briefing lawyers in the declaration of an intergovernmental dispute on the matter.

He said he was ‘taken aback’ by the President’s claim of broad consultations on a national rail devolution strategy taking place.

‘As a leading city preparing to take over passenger rail, we are completely in the dark about these alleged consultations with a broad range of stakeholders, including transport authorities, of which we are one,’ he said.

He added in light of the recent fuel increase, Cape Town needed working trains. According to the city’s latest data, only 2% of commuters currently use the rail network on a regular basis.

The city’s ongoing rail feasibility study has so far determined a functional rail system will sustain more than 51 000 jobs and add R11bn to the local economy each year. 

‘For these reasons, we are now briefing our lawyers to launch an intergovernmental dispute mediation process. Under section 42 of the Intergovernmental Framework Relations Act, a mediation committee will need to be “promptly” convened to set the terms of the dispute,’ he said.

Full GroundUp report