Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to form a joint committee with the city for “the urgent devolution” of passenger rail services to the metro.

The service is currently operated by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, and transports about 2% of Cape Town’s commuters.

In a letter to the President, Hill-Lewis asks Ramaphosa to confirm if the national Cabinet-approved White Paper to devolve rail to capable metros still stands, given a series of recent anti-devolution comments from within the governing African National Congress (ANC).

“I have asked President Ramaphosa to confirm his commitment to devolving passenger rail to metros, and that this Cabinet-approved policy has not been abandoned.

“We are asking the President to form a joint working committee with the city to chart the way towards rail devolution in the shortest possible time.

“If we don’t do this critical preparation now, it will take many years for rail to be devolved for the metro to run.

‘We can’t accept delays, given that residents desperately need an affordable, safe and reliable rail service in Cape Town,” notes Hill-Lewis.

“In fact, lower-income households will save up to R932-million per year with an efficient passenger rail service in Cape Town. Our research also shows that getting the trains running will sustain over 51 000 jobs and add R11-billion to the local economy each year.”

Hill-Lewis says Cape Town’s devolution feasibility study is well under way.

“However, we are concerned about recent anti-devolution comments in the media by the newly appointed Transport Minister and the ANC’s policy head for economic transformation.

“We now expect the President to break his silence and confirm whether he will work with us towards devolution or not.”

In May this year, new Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga told media there were currently no plans to devolve rail to the city, notes the City of Cape Town.

“The Minister has also, to date, ignored a letter from mayor Hill-Lewis in March asking for the formation of a joint working committee on devolution.”

In January, outgoing Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula declined to form such a working committee, confirming in a letter to Hill-Lewis that his department “has not been given a directive by government and me to start with any form of devolution”.

And, in January, ANC policy head for economic transformation Mmamoloko Kubayi told Sunday World that devolving rail services to the metros was not an option for the ANC.