Johannesburg - A war of words erupted between former Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha and Fikile Mbalula over the role he and the ANC played in “destroying” the country's once flourishing railway infrastructure.
As things stand, the country's railway system has become dysfunctional following widespread destruction of railway tracks, cables and other structures.
This has affected both commuter and goods rail, with the country now heavily reliant on road transport for most of its activities.
In a recent News24 opinion piece titled “Mbalula and the ANC destroyed Prasa”, Mantshantsha tears into Mbalula for having allegedly destroyed the country's economic output due to neglect and looting of Prasa and other rail networks.
On Monday, the two took their battle to Twitter, where they went head-to-head.
In a tweet, Mbalula rejoiced over the Soweto train line, which he said has returned to service between Soweto and Tshwane.
"Trains returned in Soweto. Work is under way to bring back the Johannesburg-Pretoria line," Mbalula remarked.
Mantshantsha said this was not a true reflection of the status of transportation in Johannesburg.
"Trains returned? From where, Fikile Mbalula? Complete the sentence. And that is just one line operating at a limited capacity. Four return trips per day over 40km of railway. Where is the rest?" he said.
Mantshantsha called for Mbalula to post audited financial statements for the Prasa group of companies in order to show the real extent of the group's financial status.
Mbalula accused Mantshantsha of being part of the struggles at Eskom following his stint as the ailing power utility's CEO after three years of daily blackouts.
"As someone who has been at one of the state entities that fell victim to now-clear and widely reported cases of corruption through the media and court judgements, one would think you would know better. I am proud of the work we have done to set Prasa on a recovery path," Mbalula contended.
However, the former Eskom mouthpiece defended himself, saying: "I would shoot myself dead if I thought destroying a whole railway system is something to be proud of. Do yourself a favour and ride a train to Park Station tomorrow and walk by yourself through the Johannesburg CBD to your office. Then you can talk to me."
The Star