March 29, 2004
By Ndaba Dlamini
"I WILL be late for work again. This time I can feel it in my bones, my 'mlungu' is going to fire me," moans a bulky woman shuffling her feet nervously on the dusty platform. Nobody seems to heed her plight. In unison, anxious faces turn away to look expectantly southwards for a glimpse of an approaching train.
The Naledi train is late again.
A motley multitude of commuters crowd Platform One at Ikwezi Station. School children, factory workers, teachers, hawkers, preachers … the list is endless. Amidst the confusion that seems to characterise the activity on the platform is an underlying patience. For, even though the train may be late, the commuters know it will eventually arrive to take them to their destinations.
Finally, a faint match-like illumination bursts through the dense morning fog and the sudden burst of energy from the crowd of commuters signals the end of the long wait.
There is a distinct order in which the commuters stand on the platform. It is mostly men that stand at the far ends of the platform. They are waiting for the "Dumani" coaches. In most cases, the first, second and last coaches are clinical coaches reserved for those who are habitually afflicted with the morning sickness. Beer is sold, albeit illegally, in these coaches. An occasional raid by the police in most cases brings these "spots" to a temporary closure, only to resurface after "BraSam" or "BraVusi" has paid a visit to "omashonisa", the moneylenders, for a loan.
As coaches whiz past, jangling bells from windows and hymns signal the location of different religious sects on the train. If you do not belong to any particular sect, you could choose to listen to a sermon from a Shembe follower. If you are endowed with a vocal gift and possess much energy, you may wish to choose a Zion Christian Church coach, joining in the captivating chanting and stomping characteristic of the religious sect.
"It's number 99, 'yijikeleza le'." A groan emanates from a smartly dressed youth as the train rambles into the station. The train number is 9943. It's a circuit train that services the townships and the western industrial areas of Johannesburg. The train does not pass through Park Station, the central rail station of the City of Johannesburg. Without a good knowledge of train numbers and their destinations, you may end up in another part of Gauteng far away from your intended destination.
The youth, followed by pushing and shoving commuters, scrambles into the train all the same. He will connect at New Canada, a station where most commuter trains from the western parts of Johannesburg intersect on their way to the city centre.
The train's 13 odd coaches are already jam-packed with commuters from Naledi. Youths cling precariously to the open automatic doors oblivious of the dangerous stunts they are performing. Some who are more daring sit on the shunting cables between coaches, the deadly iron wheels of the train just a few centimetres away.
Before the train comes to a stop, the youthful daredevils jump down the moving train in reckless abandon in a stunt termed "istaff".
The train only stops for a moment before it jerks into motion again. The weak and the disabled, unable to muster enough strength to fight their way into the train, are left behind to patiently wait for the next one.
The daring youths wait for the train to gain speed before jumping into the moving train. A stumble, a fumble, and the end result will be inevitable demise for the stuntman. The stunt is not for the faint-hearted.
A lone Metrorail guard stands at the far end of the platform watching the proceedings passively, his attention taken up by handful of boys who stood near a broken fence of the station, waiting for a chance to squeeze through for a free ride on the train.
"Why do these children play with death like this? What are the Local Station Forums for? Can't they do some thing about it?" asks one man clinging on to the baggage rail. The question is met by blank stares from other commuters. Obviously, nobody knows about the forums.
Established by Metrorail as a talk shop between commuters and Metrorail, the forums are supposed to provide suggestions on safety and security, hawkers, train timetables and station facilities.
"Have you heard the latest, MaMzimela? She has done it again. That witch from next door. This morning I found a dead cat in my yard …" The commuter train is the grapevine of the township. It's where the latest rumours circulate, both domestic and those of a political nature. You cannot but be ensnared by the whispers and other underground news making the rounds in the coaches.
One coach, dubbed "umzabalazo", is where you can catch up on the latest political gossip and news. Everybody is free to join in no matter what political party you subscribe to. Before 1994, there were separate coaches for each political denomination.
The train is also a supermarket. A wide range of commodities ranging from fruits to light bulbs are sold by enterprising hawkers. They also come cheaper than your regular informal traders. You can get a packet of potatoes or tomatoes for R2 from the train, compared to R3 at Park Station.
Compared to other modes of transport, rail provides the cheapest commuter service, though not the most comfortable. The R25 or R60 for a weekly and monthly ticket is a bargain compared to taxi fares, which vary from R4.50 to R5 per journey. The catch, though, is that there are no trains running from the north of Johannesburg and most commuters who work here have to connect from the city centre using alternative transport. The lines run from the south of the city centre, from the East Rand through to Soweto and Randfontein in the far west.
Despite the delays and the numerous stops, the train from Soweto will inevitably get you to the city.
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