Three of Transnet's rail lines have been impacted by what is believed to be sabotage, amid protests by disgruntled security personnel over a new outcomes-based security contract.

In the face of rampant criminality that has been impacting its operations, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) on 1 August adopted an outcomes-based security solution to combat theft and vandalism on its rail network.

The change-over has sparked protest among former employees of the outgoing security service provider and has resulted in incidents of sabotage and vandalism that have disrupted three rail corridors. News24 understands these to be the North Corridor (the export coal line and Transnet's most lucrative corridor) as well as the North-East Corridor and the Central Corridor.

"The protests, including vandalism and damage to the network, are having a severe impact on our rail operations and, in some instances, bringing operations to a complete standstill for hours at a time," Transnet said in a statement.

"Criminal cases were opened with the South African Police Service … for tampering, damaging, or destroying essential infrastructure. Perpetrators found guilty of this offence face a minimum sentence of 15 years' direct imprisonment. Investigations are continuing."

The new outcomes-based contracts were awarded to five security providers to service the rail corridors, who will introduce the latest state-of-the-art crime-fighting technologies to combat theft, damage and vandalism of TFR's essential infrastructure.

Unlike previous contracts, the new outcomes-based model gives security providers flexibility as to how they approach crime-prevention strategies. The performance of the contractor is judged on the movement of trains and not simply by the resources provided.

The move to such a performance-based solution has been broadly welcomed as a critical step in the right direction as the scourge of crime has continued to put a strain on TFR’s ability to deliver reliable and uninterrupted services to customers, ultimately resulting in revenue losses for the rail operator, its customers and the economy.

"OBS service providers are required to provide a full service offering including being held accountable for the security of the network and the ability to ensure trains are not cancelled or delayed as a result of security-related incidents," TFR said.

The rail operator said that while workers with specific skills sets could be absorbed into the various outcomes-based workforces after undergoing strict vetting processes, others could not be accommodated as they failed the vetting process.

"The OBS vetting process is to avoid TFR from being exposed to criminal activities from within its operations. In the past, TFR has had major challenges with contracted security employees working with criminal syndicates," it said.