National government clarifies that rail is not being devolved

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has been at pains to stress that its recently signed Service Level Plan (SLP) with the City of Cape Town does not signal a devolution of passenger rail services. Rather, it is a framework for collaboration under Section 11 of the National Land Transportation Act, which mandates municipalities to prepare transport plans and coordinate them with national entities such as PRASA.

The National sphere will remain in charge of planning and procurement, and only certain narrow regulatory and administrative functions will be delegated. These delegations can be even more finely controlled under an SLA, since they will further align local regulatory conditions with naitonal policy preferences.

The agreement, PRASA insists, is an exercise in cooperative governance, not a transfer of powers. Rail services, the agency reminds stakeholders, remain firmly under the control of the Department of Transport. Nonetheless, the SLP marks a significant milestone, being the first such partnership between PRASA and a municipality.

PRASA frames the SLP as a tool to harmonise national and local transport priorities, aligning infrastructure development, security, and property management. Key provisions include joint efforts to prevent illegal occupation of PRASA properties, deploy integrated law enforcement teams, and identify potential resettlement areas for encroached sites. The agreement also focuses on improving public safety, with plans to build pedestrian bridges and better manage level crossings.

The character of this agreement is in line with the ANC’s new District Development Model, in which all spheres of government, local, provincial and national, will be subordinated to a single central plan. The SLP allows the National government to control aspects of local and provincial regulation that would otherwise be given leeway by the separation of powers in Section 11 of the National Land Transportation Act.

A cornerstone of the partnership is integrated transport planning. Cape Town’s commuter rail services will now be incorporated into its Comprehensive Integrated Transport Plan, with an emphasis on transit-oriented development around rail precincts. PRASA has committed to providing operational data, maintaining infrastructure, and ensuring safety compliance while continuing its programme of rebuilding and maintenance.

For Cape Town, the partnership is a step toward a more ambitious goal. Geordin Hill-Lewis, the city’s mayor, has framed the SLP as a foundation for eventual rail devolution. Citing the potential savings of nearly R1 billion annually for low-income households if trains functioned efficiently, Hill-Lewis envisions a transformative future: expanded routes, upgraded stations, and affordable housing near transit hubs.

PRASA, meanwhile, is eyeing similar agreements with other metropolitan municipalities, signaling a broader strategy of engagement. Whether these SLPs herald a fundamental shift in South Africa’s rail governance or remain limited to operational alignment will depend on the agency’s ability to translate cooperation into tangible service improvements.

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