The grand looting, thieving and vandalisation of South Africa's vital rail network has been well-documented, but the least told story is how those poor families, school children, blue-collar workers and unemployed who relied on these trains -- by far the cheapest form of transport -- are coping with the impact of these disruptions.

People in KwaDukuza (formerly known as Stanger) used to pay R150 to buy a monthly ticket that allowed them to commute to Durban city.

Now they have to fork out R140 for a round trip to Durban after the train service linking the two places came to an abrupt end more than two years ago.

Fezeka Mvuyane, of Groutville -- about 75 km from Durban and only 5km from KwaDukuza (Stanger) -- said she commuted between her home and the Durban city-based educational institution where she was studying early childhood development.

"I had to have R120 each day to take a taxi. I had to quit my studies because there was no way I could afford taxis daily," she said. She is not the only one as there are many people, including students, pupils and low-earners such as domestic workers who were forced to quit working or schooling when the train services stopped.

The near-total collapse of South Africa's rail network intensified in late 2019 when the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) decided to cancel all private security contracts. By the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, the rail network was vulnerable and unprotected when criminals and looters moved...