Opportunity - Issue 94

South African women have become increasingly
prominent in sectors that were previously dominated
by men. However, the representation of female
engineers in the rail sector is still disproportionate.
“I am passionate about young women taking up
careers in science, technology, engineering and
maths (STEM) sectors,” says Tshepo Kgare, RSR
ACEO. The railways offer exciting career paths
such as railway inspectors, human factor specialists
and Overhead Track Equipment (OHTE) specialists
among others.
The Association of South African Women in
Science and Engineering, under the helm of the
University of Cape Town states that South Africa
has a critical shortage of trained technological
professionals to the degree that there was only 49
scientist and engineers involved in research 40
years back.
The RSR views the empowerment of women in
science and engineering as a business imperative
to build an inclusive community. The Regulator
follows equitable employment and skills development
practices, nevertheless have to acknowledge that the
sector is still miles from levelling the playing field.
____ __ ___ __ _ _
“I am passionate about
young women taking
up careers in science,
technology, engineering
and maths (STEM)
sectors.” – Tshepo Kgare
_____ __ ___ __ _ _
According to the ACEO, Tshepo Kgare, we have to be
the change we want to see.
“We need to encourage girls to push the boundaries
and to reach fearlessly for what they want. Together we
can disrupt the collective barriers that impede women
from entering the rail sector,” said Kgare.
LET US CONTINUE TO PROTECT OUR RAIL ICONS
Covid-19 has proven to be a disruption not only to the
economy and health system, but to all facets of life. To
this effect, rail is no exception. The nationwide lockdown
resulted in most rail operators suspending their
operations, while those who remained to operate did so
under strict regulations and restrictions.
As the country moved to Alert Level 4 of the lockdown
in May, the Minister of Transport, Honourable
Fikile Mbalula issued directives to address, prevent and
combat the spread of Covid-19 in the rail operations.
As custodians of rail safety, the RSR played a central
role in ensuring that rail operators comprehend and
comply with the directives.
At the heart of the directives was an entreaty to operators
to demonstrate the health and safety measures
put in place to ensure that their operations are compliant
to the prescribed regulations. This encompassed,
inter alia, the protection of rail workers.
To accentuate on the clarion call to protect rail
workers, the RSR launched the Siyabavikela Campaign
at the beginning of June. The campaign which focusses
on protecting rail workers aims to heighten awareness
and reinforce the compliance that is required from
operators as far as social distancing and personal protective
equipment is concerned.
The campaign has been received very well by rail
operators who responded by sharing photos of rail
employees wearing masks, maintaining social distancing
and sanitizing their hands among other things.
These responses, coupled with the Covid-19 response
plans received from operators, as well as Covid-19
reports and updates, gives the Regulator comfort
that the industry is on the right track. In the words of
President Cyril Ramaphosa, “The task of dealing with
the coronavirus pandemic is like running a marathon
and not a sprint.”
The World Health Organisation has also cautioned
that the coronavirus pandemic will be with us for quite
some time. In light of this, the ball is in the court of
all rail stakeholders to ensure that we fight with the
pandemic and continue to protect our rail icons!
___ __
The RSR is a
government agency
established in terms
of the National
Railway Safety
Regulator Act,
No 16 of 2002 (as
amended) to oversee
and enforce safety
compliance by all
railway operators
in South Africa,
including those
of neighbouring
states whose
rail operations enter
South Africa.
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