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PRASA Has Ignored the Public Protector for 6 Years

Dear Editor

The DA demands that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA starts to deliver reliable train operations for all people of South Africa. To do this it must run itself as an effective company, with clean, transparent and un-corrupt management – which must be overseen by Parliament.

To put PRASA in ICU, the DA demands that the PRASA Board Chairperson, and Board Members, must be called to Parliament’s Transport Committee to account for an astonishing six-year delay in complying with an order of the Public Protector’s to get its house in order. (The Public Protector’s “Derailed” Report of 2019)

In the past weeks, the DA has written to the Public Protector to request an update on this matter, but received no reply. While we wait, yet another PRASA scandal has broken, where R72 million has been paid to the daughter of a PRASA contractor. This latest scandal demands that we act immediately.

For six long years, PRASA has inexplicably failed to implement the binding remedial action of the Public Protector, including:

  • Proper procurement and HR processes for service providers and individuals,
  • Stopping conflicts of interest because the roles of employees and Board Members are being confused,
  • All contracts over R10 million since 2012 were supposed to go through a forensic investigation, and
  • All contracts needed to be vetted by lawyers, not just employees, before they are signed.

These are changes that should make the Passenger Rail Agency able to run effectively, and deliver reliable rail transport, and that is what South Africans deserve! No longer should South Africans tolerate unreliable and inefficient rail operations simply because PRASA remains in a mess. The DA is fighting to change this.

The remedial action of the Public Protector is binding and must be implemented unless challenged in court. PRASA has no reason to continue to undermine and disregard the Chapter 9 constitutional entity that is the Public Protector.

The DA believes that the Committee and Parliament have a duty to strongly hold PRASA to account, including sanctioning PRASA for disregarding the Public Protector for six years.

PRASA must abide by the Public Protector’s remedial action.

Regards

Thami Mabhena MP
DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Transport

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