Former Transnet Group Chief Executive Officer Brian Molefe is scheduled to continue to testify at the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture in Johannesburg on Wednesday morning.
Former Transnet chief financial officer Anoj Singh is also scheduled to give evidence.
Yesterday, Molefe told the commission that he rejected then Transnet engineer Francis Collard’s allegation that locomotives favoured by Molefe from the China South Railway were unsuitable for local use.
Molefe says the China South Railways (CSR) delegation visited Transnet offices and made a business presentation.
Molefe insists that there was no favouritism towards CSR when they signed a tender with the Chinese-based company.
This comes as the Special Investigating Unit and Transnet launches an application in the High Court to review and set aside four contracts that Transnet had concluded in 2014 to acquire 1 064 locomotives.
Molefe says CSR was a respected supplier.
“The Chinese had a heavy world footprint that was even above our standards required. I even had a model of that locomotive. The Chinese manufacturing facility would be used because manufacturing those locomotives in China would give us the 100 locomotives required on the coal line which was in dire strain, what we needed was 100 locomotives,” says Molefe.
Molefe gives Transnet-related testimony:
SIU-Transnet probe
Meanwhile, Transnet says a joint investigation with the SIU to review and set aside contracts for the procurement of more than 1 000 locomotives is in its final stages.
The rail company says the four contracts were irregular and tainted by corruption. It says the initial estimated cost of R38.6 billion escalated to R54 billion.
Transnet top executives and the Board have briefed the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on their annual report, SIU investigations, deviations, and expansions.
They revealed a total of R114.3 billion in irregular expenditure accumulated over several financial years.
Members of the committee expressed satisfaction with how things are going, but also want Transnet management to move with speed in tackling corruption.
-Additional reporting by Lulama Matya
