23 Jan 2020

A Botswana Railways (BR) employee has told the board of inquiry investigating last year’s train accident that of the company’s passenger trains, only the Bulawayo-bound one has a first aid kit.

Ms Tefo Monareng, who was testifying before the board on Wednesday, said the arrangement did not mean that BR valued the lives of passengers plying the Francistown-Bulawayo route more than it did those who travelled within the borders of Botswana.

The regional passenger services officer - south said she believed that the decision to allocate the one first aid kit that had been returned from re-filling to the Bulawayo train was because the company was not certain of the kind of emergency response passengers would get should an emergency arise once the train crossed into Zimbabwe.

She noted that as for trains operating within Botswana’s borders, passengers could always get assistance without delay in emergency situations.

Ms Monareng could however not explain any further when the board informed her that with the December 10 accident, help was not timely as it arrived three hours late and that even the BR nurse did not go to the scene as she had not been notified of the accident.

Regarding why local trains did not have first aid kits, she explained that when the kits were removed for re-filling at the request of the safety department in December 2018, the expectation had been that the rest of the kits would be returned for re-allocation to local passenger trains, but that to date, the kits had not been returned.

On the number of passengers injured during the accident that triggered the ongoing inquiry, the officer said she did not have the figures despite earlier admitting that she too had a role to play to ensure the safety of passengers.

On whether it was not important that some BR employees be trained on the use of fire extinguishers, Ms Monareng said that was essential, adding that it was actually imperative that all staff members working in trains be trained on that.

After responding in the affirmative that it was her responsibility to ensure that passengers had access to clean drinking water whilst aboard the train, she stated that not much was done after tests showed faecal contamination in the water in the train, save to put in place better handling of the hosepipes used for refilling the water tanks.

Subsequent to indicating that the said water tanks had not been cleaned after the tests, she could not respond to how then she expected future test results to be different when she had not ensured that the tanks got cleaned.

Mr Matlhogonolo Temoso, a permanent way inspector – south, also took to the stand, informing the board that on the day prior to the accident, he had communicated back and forth with Pallaroad-based Mr Leano Koomantswe on whether everything was alright on the track as there were reports of rains having fallen in the Mahalapye area.

Mr Temoso said in all the occasions that they spoke, Mr Koomantswe informed him that he had checked the track and there was no danger in the section between Capricorn and Mahalapye which he (Mr Temoso) had said should be checked as it was one of the hotspots prone to problems when it rained.

The officer also stated that after the accident, he was not formally informed despite it having happened in the section of the rail line falling under his jurisdiction, which he said stretched from Mahalapye to Ramatlabama Border Post.

As for the frequency with which he patrolled the track and checked the rail line, Mr Temoso said he did so four times annually unless there was need for more frequent checking.

Asked whether he considered checking the line once quarterly adequate, he said it was indeed sufficient to do so.

More witnesses are expected to appear before the board, among them people who were passengers on the train in question on the day of the accident as well as management and the BR board of directors. ENDS