'You promised us heaven and earth, minister' Mmeli Dube of #UniteBehind said on Thursday to transport minister Fikile Mbalula during a briefing after the morning's arson attack at Cape Town station. But promises have been a key instrument in Mbalula's tenure so far.

It seemed like a regular press briefing: a hot 30ºC in a train station bearing the brunt of an overnight train fire that destroyed 18 coaches. Damaged glass, debris, the heavy smell of smoke and destroyed carriages are still visible at Cape Town station.

It's just over an hour since Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula was scheduled to address the media. When he finally takes the stage, it's once again bravado time for a minister who needs to assure commuters that a train fire will not happen again.

Mbalula has one of the most difficult jobs in the country: get the rail service, particularly Cape Town's Central Line, back on track. This briefing comes after Thursday morning's train fire destroyed 18 carriages, with preliminary estimated damage at R16-million to the carriages and R150-million to Prasa's overhead cables, not to mention the damage to the train station itself, announced Prasa Western Cape regional manager Richard Walker.

Despite the damage...