The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has dismissed 14 security employees for attempted robbery and various other offenses at Prasa offices in Pretoria on 31 October 2018.
The incident involving 14 Protection Services employees, happened in the early hours of the morning when the employees stormed the Prasa premises and attempted to steal Toyota Quantums whilst attacking security guards on duty.
The security guards were threatened with firearms and had their hands tied behind their backs after being blind folded and assaulted.
The attempted robbery was thwarted when the police responded swiftly upon receiving information about the robbery taking place, and all 14 security personnel involved were arrested on site.
Commenting on the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings against the said employees, Prasa Board Chairperson Khanyisile Kweyama said: “The outcome of this hearing is a true testimony to our commitment to rooting out criminal elements and corruption, which had fested at Prasa. The attempted stealing by our own security of a large number of brand new vehicles that were awaiting to be deployed to the various regions to deliver the much needed service to our commuter and passengers is indicative of an organization that could fast lose its purpose if we don’t intervene timeously. As a Board we are happy with this outcome and we now await the outcome of the criminal proceedings which is now in the hands of our justice system.”
Prasa Group CEO Nkosinathi Sishi, whilst echoing the sentiments expressed by the Chairperson, also said; “It’s quite shocking that these individuals not only attempted to steal the said vehicles but severely assaulted their fellow employees under the guise of a simulation to test the strength of our security apparatus. Moreover, the country has entrusted us with a huge responsibility of ensuring the safety and security of our service and this cannot be compromised by the very same security structures employed to do so. This action put Prasa’s image into serious disrepute. I can only hope that we will emerge from this with our integrity intact.” – Prasa Press Release
