By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has called on the Prasa board to deal with all forms of corruption and made it clear to board members that he will wield the axe if they fail to do their jobs.
Mbalula said the mandate he gave the current Prasa board was that they must deal with procurement because the supply chain at Prasa was corrupt to the core.
“This includes contracts previously identified as irregular, which include Swifambo and Siyangena contracts. Where corruption has been identified such as the insurance scam reported by management, these must be investigated and decisive action taken without delay,” Mbalula said in a statement.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into irregular contracts at PRASA identified 44 employees in wrong-doing and consequences management was recommended in this regard.
PRASA has since taken the following actions against implicated employees, considering that 11 have since resigned and are no longer in the employ of PRASA.
Thirteen cases are in various stages of the disciplinary process; one employee was dismissed; one resigned; four were given 12 months final written warning; one was given a six month written warning; one employee is on suspension; eleven employees were found not guilty; and one employee was not disciplined, because there was no basis for discipline.
“In relation to the irregular Siyangena contract, three senior executives were implicated by the State Capture Commission. One such employee has since left the employ of PRASA and another resigned before disciplinary process could be initiated, while one has since been dismissed,” the Minister said.
With regards to the Swifambo contract, six senior executives are going through a disciplinary process. The Werkmans investigation, premised on the Public Protector’s “Derailed” report further identified irregularities, which were referred to the SIU for further investigation.
Consequent to the SIU report, five employees were implicated. Four of these employees were dismissed and there was insufficient evidence against one of these. One of the dismissed employees was reinstated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), but PRASA is taking the matter on review at the labour court.
From the Public Protector’s “Derailed” report, four employees were dismissed, but two were reinstated by the CCMA.
The Minister also said Operation Ziveze head count must be completed and identified ghost workers terminated from the payroll and culpable officials disciplined.
Project Ziveze was initiated by PRASA to physically verify all PRASA employees.
“With the identification of 3 000 employees who could not be verified their salaries were frozen. Since the freezing of salaries, more employees from those previously not verified came forward.
“A forensic investigation is currently underway on the possible ghost employees and how these found their way into the payroll system. Once the forensic investigation is concluded, action will be taken against those implicated,” the Minister said.
He said Requisite Supply Chain Management capacity must be built as a matter of urgency to ensure that procurement processes are not hindered by capacity challenges and adjudication of tenders is in line with the prescripts.
The Minister encouraged the board to expedite the filling of vacancies including the vacancy of the Group CEO.
“The approved security plan must be fully implemented with reinforcements of technological interventions such as drones and armoured vehicles deployed in the identified corridors, “Mbalula said.