27 Feb 2020

Botswana Railways CEO Mr Leonard Makwinja has advised on the need to have well-equipped rescue stations throughout the country to deal with emergencies.

“That is where we should get to as a country. The responsibility does not lie solely with BR”, he said in response to a question asked by Mr Moses Bagayi, member of BR board of enquiry in Mahalapye on Wednesday.

Mr Bagayi had asked Mr Makwinja if he was satisfied with the response of the BR breakdown crew after the train derailment.

Mr Makwinja, however, noted that the BR had a recovery crew even though it was not adequate hence their reliance on emergency rescuers being the Botswana Defence Force and police during the train accident.

 The board of enquiry also expressed concern on the handling of safety issues at BR, given the absence of first aid kits and fire extinguishers in the passenger train that derailed in December.

Mr Makwinja said since his appointment to BR in 2017 he had engaged safety specialist and even appointed two more in an effort to improve the safety standard.

He said they were able to come up with interventions that could deal with safety at level crossings by upgrading them, “Through these interventions, we were beginning to see some improvements”, he added.

 He said BR strived to put safety first in all its operations and emphasised on the need to invest more on the railway line, more especially that A1 Road affected the railway line during the rainy season.

On the many acting arrangements in the organisation, Mr Makwinja said the BR was struggling to attract the calibre of people who would be able to take the organisation to the higher levels.

Mr Bagayi had asked him if it was ideal to have many acting positions in the organisations. ENDs