SIU continues probe on Prasa ghost workers
The SIU is probing more than 1 000 cases of ghost workers drawing monthly salaries from Prasa without doing any work.
A Weekend Argus report notes in 2022 it was reported that about 1159 ghost employees suddenly vanished from the Prasa payroll system in a single day when Prasa launched Operation Ziveze, which sought to crack down on the scourge of ghost workers since 2021.
SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago last week said the fraud continued well after the operation was conducted.
‘That is part of the new investigation that came up this year under proclamation 153 of 2024 because the previous one we are done with it, but there is now a new one that emanates mainly from the state capture investigations,’ said Kganyago.
‘We are still looking, but we have found that even the process of putting together this Ziveze was not done in a proper manner and therefore we are looking into all those transactions.’
He added that the number of ghost employees at Prasa was now believed to be more than 1 200.
‘At the moment, we are investigating 1 277 of these ghost workers and we have so far finalised 620,’ said Kganyago.
The MKP criticised the probe into Prasa contracts worth billions of rands red-flagged by the Zondo Commission when the SIU briefed Parliament on its investigations into the rail agency last week, GroundUp reports.
A briefing took place before Parliament's Scopa about the SIU investigation into corruption in Prasa’s contract with Siyangena Technologies, but MKP’s David Mandla Kosan said that an independent engineer’s report ordered by the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) showed Prasa got a good deal.
‘Why do you continue with the witch hunt if it’s true?’ Skosana said.
SIU head Andy Mothibi and lead investigator Zodwa Xesibe told the committee that following Siyangena winning the R5.6bn contract from Prasa in 2012, R27m was allegedly moved through subsidiaries and front companies to ‘disguise gratification to the former employees of Prasa.
Additionally, the largest portion, R557m, was said to have been paid to a company owned by ‘a politically exposed person.’
The SIU investigators said they did not want to name the people because investigations were still underway and they had not been charged.
Lucky Montana, Prasa CEO from 2010 to 2015; Sfiso Buthelezi, Prasa board chairperson from 2009 to 2014; and the two largest Prasa contracts under investigation to companies Siyangena and Swifambo; featured prominently in the Zondo Commission report.
Skosana alleged that former Prasa board chair Popo Molefe (who testified before the Zondo Commission on how his efforts to clean up Prasa were thwarted by political intervention) was responsible for irregular appointments and payments.
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