Security-related rail fatalities surge sharply – RSR warns of deepening safety crisis

THE Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) has raised alarm over the growing number of deaths linked to crime and security incidents across South Africa's rail network, warning that the crisis underscores the country's broader socioeconomic challenges.

- YOGASHEN PILLAY

According to the RSR's State of Safety 2024/2025 report, security-related fatalities in the rail sector have risen sharply over the past five years from 13 deaths in 2021/22 to 58 in 2024/25.

The regulator presented its findings during a roadshow in Durban on Friday, revealing that KwaZulu-Natal was the hardest-hit province.

KwaZulu-Natal recorded 2 707 railway-related occurrences, with 67% attributed to security-related incidents, the highest number of fatalities (24), and 52 injuries.

RSR's head of safety management, Deepak Budhram, said the findings highlight how the country's persistent crime problem spills into the rail sector, which serves as both a target and a conduit for criminal behaviour.

"While certain criminal acts are deliberately aimed at railway assets, such as the theft of infrastructure or vandalism, many security-related risks stem from broader patterns of crime," Budhram said.

"These risks frequently spill over into the rail system, which, as a critical component of public infrastructure, becomes both a target and a conduit for criminal behaviour. The consequences are often severe, including loss of life and injury."