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Mbalula was unaware he would be implicated at State Capture Inquiry

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As the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture continues to put Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) under spotlight this week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says he was not made aware that he would be implicated in the testimony of witnesses, such as former Prasa chairperson of the interim board, Khanyisile Kweyama.

Mbalula says the rules of the commission state that all those implicated must be notified within a reasonable time, in order to allow them the opportunity to apply to give evidence and cross-examine the witness.

 

The Transport Minister says no such application was received by his legal team and he has instructed his lawyers to write to the Commission to address the matter.

He ends the statement saying he remains committed to appearing before the Commission.

On Wednesday, the Commission heard how Mbalula, dissolved the Prasa board, allegedly so he could appoint Bongisizwe Mpondo as CEO.

The Commission, investigating allegations of state capture and corruption, resumed on Wednesday after a short recess and turned its attention to the passenger rail agency.

In the video below, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says Mpondo doesn’t have any legal authority to exercise any powers as an administrator:

Cabinet approves Mpondo’s appointment at Prasa

In December 2019, cabinet approved the appointment of Bongisizwe Mpondo as Administrator for the Passenger Rail Agency for a period of twelve months.

Cabinet also approved the dissolution of the interim board of Prasa and placing the entity under administration as announced by Mbalula.

In the video below, Department of Transport spokesperson, Ayanda Allie-Paine elaborates on why Prasa was put under administration:

During a press briefing, Mbalula told reporters that he had dissolved the interim Prasa Board as it had not yielded any turn-around or results for the State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) since its appointment.

In the video below, Prasa board was sent packing by SCOPA for failing to answer basic questions:

Civil society organisation challenges Mpondo’s appointment

#UniteBehind has filed court papers to the Western Cape High Court, aiming to overturn a decision by Mbalula to appoint Bongisizwe Mpondo as the Administrator of the Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (Prasa).

The group wants the decision to be declared unlawful, reviewed and set aside.

National Treasury, Prasa, Mpondo and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni are all cited as respondents.

The application also seeks to have a permanent Prasa board appointed within a period of three months.

In a statement, Mbalula says he is confident that decisions taken to address challenges at Prasa will withstand legal scrutiny.

 

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