Gangsters armed with AK-47s chased workers away from train lines in Cape Town earlier this week. The workers say the thugs are depriving them of much-needed work and income after three years of unemployment exacerbated by Covid-19.

'They shouted at the gate, 'hoe kom ons in?' (How do we get in?) The gunmen forced their way into the site. As I came down the steps, I walked into men with machine guns. They wanted to know the name of the company that I worked for...

"What these gangsters are doing is taking food out of the mouths of our children. Really this is not right. They don't know the hardship we endured while we were unemployed. It is all about gangsters making money and not thinking of us living in extreme poverty."

These are the words of a Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) contractor who recalled what happened on Monday, 26 August in the Cape Town suburb of Bonteheuwel, parts of which are gang strongholds.

The worker's name, as well as those of several other individuals, have been withheld due to safety concerns.

Earlier, Daily Maverick reported that on Monday a video, showing two men armed with high-calibre...