SIA South Africa News Letter.

Just received this and for those who are not on the mailing list I thought it worth posting it here for your information.

Dear SIA member,

You were kind enough to join us as an SIA member to put pressure on the authorities to recognise that South Africa had a truly charismatic Railway Heritage which should to the extent that it is feasible be preserved.

As is often the case in Preservation circles there is division within the structures that take it upon themselves to protect the assets and operate the railways. The Heritage Rail Association of South Africa (HRASA) is a longstanding organisation that has been engaging with the authorities over a considerable period of time. For many years the body has been recognised as the correct channel of communication between the Heritage sector and government.

Unfortunately, due possibly to lack of experience, resources and inadequate management depth, HRASA failed to make any meaningful impact. In fact to some extent they were simply being used by the authorities as a mechanism to parry objections knowing that it was unlikely that there would be any depth or substance to the follow-up that would be necessary if results were to be achieved.

In 2007 we established Steam in Action as an organisation that could represent both South African and worldwide interests and would provide a platform for people who were truly interested in what happened in Railway Preservation and keep abreast of developments but perhaps more importantly to be part of an effective recognised lobby group.

Shortly after we started, the travesty unfolded where a number of Heritage locomotives which were part of the original “National Collection” started being scrapped at Millsite near Krugersdorp not far from Johannesburg. HRASA failed to arrest this activity and so SIA launched an international campaign to put pressure on Transnet who reacted by stopping the cutting. A number of locomotives were lost but the majority survived.

Despite the above success we continued to receive representations from HRASA to the effect that we were confusing the issue on a national basis and that we were inhibiting their ability to negotiate terms with the National Railway Authority regarding the future of some hundreds of locomotives that were out there somewhere largely unprotected.

We took this on board but on the specific condition that we would stand back and allow them to take the initiative and drive the process forward whereby a decision could be reached regarding the future of South Africa’s most iconic locomotives.

Some 2-years later all is quiet on the Railway front and we are no longer even on their mailing list.

It is time for SIA to fulfil its mandate. We hope that you retain your original level of interest and we hope that you will support us in our endeavours.

This is our strategy. We have drafted a very succinct document which is going to the newly appointed Head of Transnet, Brian Molefe. We will ask him to give urgent consideration to the fact that the Heritage Foundation within Transnet appears to have ground to a halt and is not apparently able to move the process forward. They have a commitment but not the resources it would seem.

Regards,

Michael C. Myers
For Steam in Action