Prasa turns up heat on employees implicated in corruption

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) says it will begin disciplinary proceedings against at least 10 employees implicated in a number of reports, including that of former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s 2015 derailed report.

The financials of the agency paint a gloomy picture after it posted a loss of nearly R1 billion in the 2016/2017 financial year up from R544-million in 2015/2016.

Instability and maladministration have been attributed to Prasa’s dire financial state.

Prasa acting CEO, Sibusiso Sithole joined members of the board in addressing the media in Pretoria on Thursday

Prasa executives have attributed the bleeding instability at the agency to maladministration and corruption.

The agency says its first priority is to fix rogue elements in the organisation. Ten employees will be now through a disciplinary hearing next month.

The agency is also planning to recover monies from former employees who have been implicated in its internal investigation; the auditor general’s report and the 2015 public reporter’s damning report.

Sithole says, “There’s a whole range of management consequences management processes that are being implemented. Chair has already indicated that we are pressing dc charges against a number of employees that have been identified in the derailed report and some of them in the auditor general’s report. Proceedings are due to occur in the month of October”

The agency is grappling with challenges of running an efficient rail system. Delayed trains and attacks on railway staff and the vandalism of trains have been plaguing the organisation for years. Sithole says governance issues and filling critical vacancies are a priority.

“In certain areas the organisation is overstaffed, in other area we are understaffed and unfortunately the areas where we are understaffed leads to technical expertise that are needed very much in the organisation,” says Sithole.

Prasa board chairperson, Khanyisile Kweyama says the instability over the past years has made it impossible for the agency to run like a well-oiled machine.

In the past 2-3 years Prasa has had three ministers, four boards and about seven CEOs, acing interim, permanent.

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