MEDIA STATEMENT: Cancellation of #UniteBehind Public Gathering at Zondo Commission on 19 March due to COVID-19 Virus.
#UniteBehind would like to announce the cancellation of the public gathering for the Zondo commission that was set to take place on Thursday, March 19th. This is in line with guidelines from the national government in an effort to contain the COVID-19 Virus.
We, however, call on individual members of civil society to attend the Zondo Commission hearings on the State Capture of PRASA this week. One of our activists, Zackie Achmat is set to give testimony at the commission on the 19th and 20th of March. #UniteBehind believes that it is important to support those who are taking a stand against state capture and corruption.
Throughout this week #UniteBehind will be sharing commuter testimonies on social media platforms so as to highlight the impact that state capture at PRASA has had on the daily lives of those who depend on rail transport. We will be sharing these stories because commuters have not been afforded the chance to give testimony at the commission. You can follow the stories using these hashtags #FixOurTrains, #ZondoCommission, #OrangeOveralls, #MostWanted, #CommutersLivesMatter.
The current state of disaster triggered by the COVID-19 Virus only highlights how unsafe the conditions are on trains and public transport in general. Trains (when they are running) are often overcrowded. Taxi ranks are often packed with thousands of commuters during peak hours because the options of reliable and safe public transport are limited.
Often commuters cannot avoid being in overcrowded spaces because of the disastrous state of public transport.
For more information contact Zukie Vuka on 065 822 5862 or Zackie Achmat on 081 502 0318.
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