The last train out | Carte Blanche | M-Net

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟮 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯.
Willie Marais was once a steam train driver born opposite the railway station in Touws River in the Western Cape. Built in 1881, the station was the central hub of the community. Touws River was one of many thriving towns built around an extensive railway network. That all changed in the 1980s when any route deemed uneconomical was simply cut off. Entire communities were drained of their lifeblood, leaving thousands jobless, and the towns began to die. Today, these towns are sad remnants of their former glory, with most inhabitants surviving on state grants, and the tracks leading to these far-flung places are lined with derelict and abandoned sidings. While trucks thunder past, the people left in their dust cling to the hope that, somehow, their towns can be revived.
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#carteblanche #southafrica #news #train #trains #railway #trainsation #railwaystation #travel #transport #history

[@carteblanchetv]

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[@brucebosch9362]

During the 70s and 80s I travelled by train a lot and I'm glad I got to experience that. It's sad that we had to say farewell to such a much needed industry.

[@charlesmuyaya8534]

Thank you for the reminder on responsible commenting but my comments aren't meant to hurt anyone. It's a mere reminder that we can only overcome our problems as a continent when we know where we have gone wrong. No offence to any government or city/municipal authority anywhere on the continent. My apologies if I was misunderstood.

[@Joesmoe86]

Corruption in SA isn't a crime. It's culture.

[@chrisjpndala7576]

But corruption gas nothing to do with this... the station was left in the 90s by the then white government

[@arlenespencer5850]

🎯

[@akoamoseetave3091]

Like in the whole continent. Corruption is part of the black man's DNA

[@Omnist-]

The corruption that was introduced by the apartheid government. Yes

[@w0tnessZA]

Well said. If you vote for ANC, you're a terrorist and you condone theft and corruption.

[@AelianahRensburg]

I thank Carte Blanche for bringing the decay of our rich heritage to the eyes of millions. Praying that those in power can restore the railway towns and revive the economy in these towns

[@mtkoslowski]

Your sentiments are honest and wholesome. However, the cynic in me thinks that the restoration of the rail network is unlikely to happen. Best wishes from the USA 🇺🇸

[@arlenespencer5850]

That will never happen they are not capable of such.

[@roshneeshunmagum1945]

Rich indeed but look now what happened while the country accepted the decay and did nothing about it while they protest in thousands on what's happening in other countries!!! What a shame

[@GossiphiveEnt]

Our country is Gone 😢 it’s rotten and it’s never coming back.

[@eisbeinGermany]

then some black people want to tell me its better in the new South Africa

[@beulahviljoen9046]

Remember a time when there was competition between the Railwaystations for the best well kept station😢

[@eisbeinGermany]

and the delicious pie and gravy at the station cafes was best pies ever, Germiston station had the best pie and gravy

[@NeilEnvySA]

My Dad worked on Steam Locos as a Driver. Very Proud Job. And Yes i do Remember the Competition for Best kept Station. Neil Viljoen.

[@krgkrmb]

I come from a railway town in midwest Namibia, Omaruru. This report had me nostalgic. My grandfather worked there under then Spoorweg (now Transnet), and my uncle later became Station Master there. Yester year's stations were so pristine, with immaculate lawns and landscaping. Taking the train, or even dropping off a relative at the station was a big event. I heard the cliche about seting the time based on German or Japanese trains, well our trains were right on time too. Its all gone now, delapidtaed, and neglected. Los maar ales.

[@ronnyjansevanrensburg4605]

Our trains and train stations were always kept clean and maintained and in working order I used to ride train from Windhoek to Cape town and to king Williams town it was always safe and on time. It all changed after 1994 no maintenance done just left to run into the ground. Maybe it was thought that all buildings trains roads and railway lines maintained themselves and cattle ate the grass along the tracks to keep it short

[@eleanormaxwell721]

I have been saying this for years. I remember going on the Transkaroo to Cape Town from Johannesburg, going on the steam train from Johannesburg to Salisbury, and stopping off in Francistown, Botswana, what a life. I still travel by car to Middleburg in the Eastern Cape and it rattles my nerves every time with the trucks. Privatize the Railway infrastructure and get the freight back on the railways. Save our roads and stop truck hijacking not to mention the loss of lives. Remember calling the railway police Stasie Blompotte

[@stblad3]

I use to ride the Transkaroo on my way to do my military service.

[@gladiators-den]

1980's really, my father was working for the then "spoornet" and it was fully functional up until he went on pension in year 2000. You can now put it together ....

[@marieslabbert6009]

This left me with great sadness, not only for the decaying rail network, but also for the decay of the rest of our country's infrastructure and also the people's moral values.

[@michaelgerardcondon8531]

I really like this journalist . Quality gentleman

[@CliveRoberts-ly3eu]

Thanks to all of you for keeping us enlightened with the best, and open minded journalism.

[@MvR640]

So sad. In 10 years time this episode will be repeated but at a power station near you.

[@ditebogo3671]

Very sad

[@arlenespencer5850]

So much has bn destroyed in such a short space in time it actually blows the mind😢

[@matomemf]

Please don’t say that😭😭😭

[@jermainedaniels6623]

My dad used to work in that power station Athlone 😢😢😢 cape town

[@Powerup-mw6tv]

Eish😢

[@blairgowrieforestrailwayan2786]

This is why South African railaw chainged their name to Spoornet because there are no trains just track, "daar is net spoor".

[@moagiletlala7330]

Its really sad seeing all this beautiful towns looking like ghost town like this. We need to stand all together to rebuild this country for the betterment of all. Peace & Love.

[@eisbeinGermany]

not while the ANC runs the country, the cadres are only interested in KFC and Holiday houses

[@bukswillemsoosthuizen3745]

Why did we become silent😢...are we afraid ...?😢.......

[@MrsMax2009]

Klipplaat..that is my home..in a few weeks time i'll be home again. not a pretty sight anymore but still home...why am i chopping onions?

[@pieterpompies2093]

These dreams will never come true under anc... Their motto is "one step forward, 5 steps back".

[@sharmushi]

Speechless ... truly heartbreaking 😢

[@scorpio85]

I used to travel by train from Johannesburg to Potchefstroom when I was a boarder at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Potchefstroom. Then travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town. What fond memories it brings when I think back on those days.

[@MikeLangfordGoogle]

So sad, but also so much potential.

[@frankfirst6863]

Thank you. This was a brilliant presentation. Subscribed. ❤❤

[@BogusBolloks-mf4wq]

Ja well thats what happens when people who think they are clever and undo the progress clever people created. The clever people are full of doubt while the idiots are full of confidence.

[@thefatfisherman1231]

I remember growing up every Sunday we would go and see the Blue Train at the Gweru train station in Zimbabwe. Such fond memories.

[@pauldogon2578]

As a country traveller in the 1980's I remember the trains pulling people and freight. Calvinia just up the road from me is another example, a biggish railway terminal with grain silos all still there but cut off from the mainline when the bridge collapsed in Hutchinson. Another odd thing is how quickly the "Broeder" trucking companies sprung up. Smells fishy.

[@Zamo-k]

great point about these logistics companies springing up everywhere...

[@marshallgouts6675]

Enjoyed this episode!

[@anthonybaiocchi3028]

The demise of the railways didn't happen in the 80's, it started halfway through the 90's.🤔

[@mzansitrash]

😂😂😂😂

[@sds9781]

Carteblanch rewriting history again.

[@travelwithzel651]

Wow, imagine if trains came back, the tourism, holiday plans, and businesses that could start. And awesome boost to our economy!!

[@johannaslabbert6654]

Ons is in 2006 weg van Klipplaat. My man het slaghuis gehad en geboer. Toe het dit nie so sleg gelyk nie. Maar van 1995 af het dit begin met vandalisme. Geen wet. Net gemaak soos hul wil. Dit sē baie nē?

[@eisbeinGermany]

i grew up in Welkom, right next to the railway line, i loved it when in winter they would let the wheels spin, and the huff and puff when train was heavy,

[@rupertmcnaughtdavis3649]

Lovely sound of slipping, shunting steam locomotives! Was part of the sounds of our lives.

[@stblad3]

My grandparents owned a station café and restaurant. On Sundays my mom would take me for a milkshake and I could watch the trains. Now everything is blocked off, you can't even get close to the platform.

[@emmerentiagroenewald3694]

I can remember the years when we students travelled by train from Stellenbosch to Pretoria and back every winter -and summer holidays!! That was part of life then!!❤❤❤❤❤🚂🚃😂

[@verakotze]

So sad to watch the demise of SA and most other African countries.x

[@mrgj7025]

A very sad,but great piece. Will definitively try to find my way to Matjiesfontein soon.

[@johangouws8855]

Here in Western Australia, private operators are using the lines to transport grain back to the silos. It is sad to see roads suffering under heavy trucks while costly rail infrastructure decays.

[@puzzledzimbo]

They made the same mistake British railways made with their line closures, they looked at each line/service individually to determine its profitability. In reality the small lines that were "uneconomical" fed traffic to/from the main routes where the money was made. It was a system with all parts dependent on each other,as soon as they started removing parts of it the rest would fall apart soon after. Hopefully the trains will run again soon.

[@DNA_Agency]

It is painful that these towns are no longer in service. The National Party and the ANC government neglected them. I need to revisit these towns for tourism and history vlog so these people can get back on feet and turn these towns economically hubs

[@kxng_tso]

Transnet should allow private companies to run some rail networks in this country

[@kambrose1549]

Steam enthusiasts would pay big money and other tourists would enjoy a sight seeing trip without long days of driving. What a lot of missed opportunities

[@witsend008]

ANC : A better life for all ! ( That ride the gravy train - stuff the rest ).

[@Jay-rd3hn]

This started during National Party, during apartheid they started destroying South Africa 🇿🇦 so that ANC should struggle to build the country as they are still doing today. If South Africa 🇿🇦 build nuclear power stations as alternative energy source we would be able to stop the power cut that is happening today.

[@esk2k5]

@@Jay-rd3hn really???? Please explain the 2.4 trillion rand stolen by the ANC government over the last 30 years, failing water supply, failing power grid, cholera outbreaks.... Unemployment in 1994 was 15%, It is currently over 50% with 65% youth unemployment... This ANC government cannot create, build or maintain, they can only steal, destroy and lie

[@charlesmuyaya8534]

Sad story indeed but it echoes the cries of millions of people in similar situations across Africa. The railways will always be the main catalyst of industrialisation but it seems we have missed it in Africa. About two truckloads of bulk cargo equal one railway wagon and this saves lots of money maintaining the roads. Moreover, more bulk cargo will be moved more efficiently on a well maintained railway network than it would be on the roads.

[@ralphjansen9205]

Yes the SAR. Did close down some uneconomical routes . Not wise in the bigger picture. But Now Transnet has closed down high traffic, busy economical lines, Due to neglect.

[@leeslounge16]

Cape Town to Kimberly by rail. Epic and sentimental to me❤

[@leeslounge16]

This is very sad😢. I miss the journey by train to Kimberly every winter and summer holidays. Let's rebuild our SA ❤

[@waltherziemerink]

Yes, get rid of the ANC.

[@Omnist-]

@@waltherziemerink you can fly off first

[@waltherziemerink]

@@Omnist- then do not complaining about the mediocrity.

[@siphelo_rsa]

This is a reminds me of our station in Makhanda(Grahamstown). It has gone to the dogs and community forums have tried reviving it but Transnet was not interested.

[@dennisyannoutsos9689]

Prime example of what happens when the government runs things. This is not only a SA problem

[@gavinchristopher8792]

Really sad. My father was train conductor staintioned in Touwsrivier. Then it was still pretty and a town many wanted to stay in.

[@ettiennelochner6346]

My pa ook Andre Lochner😊

[@antheasam6510]

It's sad to see our country dying a fast death

[@draterlarebil4506]

Excellent documentary.

[@matthysjuys6884]

My family came in 1703. In 2023 I left. I am so happy where I have 100% equality.

[@teamtoyota9048]

Knowledge is power. I always think and blame the anc for single handedly destroying the most powerful rail networks, but now I have information. I'm still as sad 😔.

[@jadepettit2893]

I doubt it started falling apart in the 1980's

[@gladiators-den]

My father was forced to go on pension between 1995-2000 and had been with SA Railways for 45 years everything was fully functional, everything went downhill when it became Spoornet, part of the newly designed dysfunctional S.A. So Carte Blanche get your facts straight it was not in the early 1980s you claim it to be.

[@nolaspeaker5656]

"The people can't make money if the railways are transporting the goods" - The ANC.

[@Jay-rd3hn]

What about national party?

[@Phobos77777]

​@Jay-rd3hn they were the ones that built most of the infrastructure!

[@nolaspeaker5656]

@@Jay-rd3hn When the Nats came to power in '48, they promised the voters jobs... and the Nats delivered jobs... through technician training programs that resulted in the expansion of the railway network. The railways is a Nat legacy that worked, you know, like Eskom, when the ANC came to power ...

[@nolaspeaker5656]

@morganglen80 "Built" meaning, funded, supported, expanded and maintained.

[@bulelanibotman]

this is so heartbreaking

[@mmokokgoroeadira8054]

This is actually one of the saddest things I have ever seen in a country. The reality is this is how African lived during apartheid and now other races are going through it. Both apartheid and state capture are wrong. And we are nearly 30 years after being free. When are we actually going to come together and actually work objectively for the ones that are children right now. So that they have a country when we are gone 😢😢😢😢

[@andrefourie8578]

So sad.

[@alanfouche8752]

To have any chance of reviving any of the competitive routes will require stable electricity and serious protection of railway infrastructure. Remember the days of the railway police too!

[@dumisanibhengu599]

Interesting history, sad indeed...

[@mtkoslowski]

I rode steam locomotives from Cape Town to Pretoria during the 1970’s and on occasion while taking road trips would stay at Matjiesfontein. Those were the days eh?

[@Joesbar741]

The root cause of the problem - in the past years, the progress and development of the South African rail industry has been neglected and this has resulted in rail transportation not being used. Railway line maintenance has become a challenge and service delivery is below customer expectations because there are no plans to end government - ownership of the national rail network.

[@andreochse9663]

Viva viva ! Freedom for Africa ! Viva viva. We are free .

[@neelsmostert]

A big reason for the more recent decline in usage of Transnet Rail Services, is not just state capture, but also internal corruption. I know of companies shipping 50T rolls of steel where an entire roll of steel would go missing from the train and the train driver claims to have seen nothing. Transnet currently employs a whole lot of criminals, just like other statedepartments and enterprises, and until they do not act against those criminals, Transnet just like all the other SOEs will decline.

[@FJ-ln9iu]

Excellent!!! I love that decolonization is in full swing! Railway is a Western concept! 😂

[@valbruyns7947]

Interesting..Thank you

[@dre7767]

The number of apprentices/qualified artisans that came from Spoornet in all disciplines has cost this country so many quality jobs and growth for people when it stopped running properly, my Dads family all came from the rails my Dad was a fitter and turner and welder, 2 of my uncle's qualified as plumbers, Station master, Grand Father a train driver. Thousands of electricians, plumbers, fitters and turners, welders, mechanics etc all came from Spoornet. This country has lost that and we badly need them now. The breakdown of Spoornet has cost this country billions.

[@CoenradJMorgan]

Is there any chance of publishing a reading list related to Railway history in ZA, this report made me ache to know how railway developed in ZA and what was the high point like? Thank you for this interesting report, I am only frustrated by wanting to know more and not finding much. Can anyone help, is there a definitive resource, ,books or otherwise about this subject? Railways where the hight tech of their day, at one point living near the station was fashionable then the opposite occured over time, maybe after motor vehicles, trams and busses became more common place? I as really bitten by wanting to know more.

[@Thedailyfix59]

I have always loved trains. This is really sad.But let's have hope.The trains are coming back.

[@juliettshukudu3117]

Hope and trust that the relevant powers can restore the railway transport countrywide it is our history that should create employment and improve tourism

[@Homoprimatesapiens]

The biggest and largest tragedy which strike S.A. was and is the ANC regime. No war or natural disaster could bring such a devastation.

[@paulrowe9604]

TRUTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TjakaErasmus]

Nie net die Spoorweë nie. Die hele land. Die hele land lyk so.

[@bizgraft]

Yoh this is so sad to see. I've had the privilege of living overseas for some periods in life where the rail networks are some of the best features of the country. I imagine how much more tourism could be with access to off the beaten path towns, considering JHB, DBN and CTN, get the lionshare of visitors. I feel like buses is next on this list with the constant threat to bus operators. I'm from a small farming town so I know what small town living feels like. If it were up to me I'd still live in my hometown. Its not easy to leave home. My heart bleeds for the communities affected by this.

[@davidobinnaoko4768]

missing Derick from London , lived in Pretoria some years ago in the 2000;s

[@hendrikdebruin4012]

Greed did this. Who do you think own the trucking companies. The infrastructure has been plundered for personal gain. It is SO sad. I remember visiting Touwsrivier in 1975 when I was in the SADF. I remember the "troepe" trains with which we travelled from Johannesburg to Cape Town. Those days and ways can never be restored.

[@brianmakumbeCde]

i can see how Zimbabwe disease is also affecting SA, Corruption Corruption Corruption at its best.

[@tinekeg6683]

In the 90s when ANC came in power

[@xtnaa1]

And it's actually everywhere right around our country literally; how weird is that and must be put together again; we are all missing so much as to not

[@cptgrljax]

Train services all over the world have been impacted by various other forms of transportation. Cheap flights, taxis & coach services have all had their share. Those rail networks need reinvestment & in time the infrastructures will be restored. In the meantime I believe that permaculture is the way forward to communities being able to feed themselves

[@AiltonSantos-bs3pf]

A very sad history wit a longing for the past to return to its former glory in the present moment.

[@beaR.agadaemoN]

For me it boils down to our Pride, if its not proteas /springbopks we dont want it. sad to see how we lost pride in everything elese

[@ntateMarete]

You are quite right, because even Bafana Bafana we dont want!😅

[@totallyanticorruption]

Só, so sad😪

[@hendriksmit2069]

My question : 1. did the "red pens of the accountants" who scrapped everything uneconomical also "approve" of the plundering of the station buildings ? Someone must have foreseen it happening ? And 2. Rebuilding and restoring the ruins of the station buildings, which I'm sure qualify as heritage sites would cost much more once passenger and goods services are restored. Was any thought given to thát ? I have many many very fond memories of traveling on the Orange Express , Trans Natal and Pretoria to Cape Town mainline passenger trains

[@grantaylward7385]

I remember in the 80s with my dad on one of his long business trips passing by the graveyard for the steam trains in touws rivier and it was almost surreal. I was abour 12. Imagine in another century or so and those metal hulks are going to be going on decay and skeletal and the tracks will be gone. The future life whatever or whoever they are will be trying to work out the mystery of what really happened.

[@leondupreez1123]

A 30 ton truck damage to the road is equivalent to 900 1 ton cars..

[@gellibrandrail-australia4038]

this same demise of rail infrastructure issue is almost everywhere, not just SA. Australia, USA, the same

[@phumelelakhawula2796]

Thanks

[@patrickcannell2258]

Once they kicked out railway engineers at the top like Kobus Laubscher and replaced him with a bean counter, tickets.

[@janmale7767]

It is sad,but i don't think that era can return, it is bygone over , finish, this government has no money or interest in reviving it! 😭😩

[@Vuka2024]

Sell the old houses to developers and let private train operators use the tracks.

[@CharmaineDeAlmeida]

Just sad 😢bring hartseer en heimwee trug oor dorpies wat eens was, treine wat eens op n tyd op daai spore gehardloop het is asof die dorpies saam met die mense huil😢😢

[@donthato8953]

What happened to shosholoza railway?

[@janmarais3047]

Was there any comment from Transnet?

[@CONNELL19511216]

Tragic.

[@marinakonstantopoulos1703]

There is always hope and solutions but it depends on the government we choose

[@wickedvideos4653]

Carte blanche you should have included cookhouse to this story

[@marynavanvuuren7679]

😢

[@NakaidaBeauzec]

This is the result of democracy

[@glenhuysamer]

SAD SAD SAD!

[@gerriepretorius8978]

Unfortunately your timeliness is inaccurate. The demise started in the 1990's

[@ckp3118]

After 2000

[@robertschweppenhauser9891]

ANC RUINED THE RAIL WAY .

[@kamohelonkosi3715]

Is there any reason why South Africa is able to come up with transport systems like Gautrain only in Gauteng instead of rolling out such infrastructure the whole of South Africa ? Why must there be gautrain and PRASA trains ?

[@gerhardpretorius9954]

The demise of The Railway did not start in the 1980. The information you supply in your opening statement is not correct.

[@ckp3118]

After 2000

[@paulrowe9604]

They obviously do not want to upset the ANC by telling the truth ???

[@Gardencourtlandscaping]

Bantu. Nope, we going nowhere slowly😢😢

[@wernerbotha8279]

Interesting how the once credible carte Blanche is now trying so hard to involve Apartheid in the railway demise. Anyone know that it started after 2000

[@ckp3118]

Spot on🎯

[@arlenespencer5850]

And are we surprised. Not at all..

[@sds9781]

Carteblanch has become an ANC propaganda news media. Changing dates to hide the ANCs incompetence.