Johannesburg - The Zondo Commission will hear evidence related to the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) from the head of the legal division at Prasa, Martha Ngoye, and Prasa employee Tiro Holele today.
Ngoye, who has been head of the department since 2014, has previously claimed that she did not have access to documents and was not involved in the drafting of certain contracts that became subject to state capture.
According to Ngoye, the agency’s former chief executive, Lucky Montana, dismissed her from her position without providing any reasons.
Ngoye said Montana approved the project for Siyangena to supply gates to the agency’s stations, despite various issues being raised with him.
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Ngoye told the commission that Prasa extended the contract with Siyangena without due processes being followed.
Ngoye and the general manager of group legal services, Fani Dingiswayo, have previously claimed that they attempted to prevent irregularities, maladministration and alleged corruption under Montana’s watch, but this led to him firing them in 2015.
Montana told the commission that Ngoye was “unruly and unco-operative”, and she repeatedly dared him to fire her.
Montana said it seemed like Ngoye was telling him that she was not prepared to work with him.
Montana has previously told the commission that Ngoye was trying to tie him to irregular contracts and maladministration at the parastatal.
Montana said Ngoye wanted to be seen as a corruption-buster, but she had allowed major companies to take advantage of Prasa.
He has previously told the commission that Ngoye should account for that corrupt deal, because she was a member of the bid evaluation committee that recommended the company for approval by the board, and not him alone.
He also said Ngoye failed to defend Prasa when outdoor advertising giants Primedia and Continental were making R300 million in revenue from the rail agency’s stations, while the parastatal was making only R70m.
The commission will also hear Transnet-related evidence from former Transnet chief financial officer Gary Pita in the evening.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
Political Bureau