The government has managed to save the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) R200-million through the Ziveze Project, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Monday.
Addressing the media in Johannesburg, Mbalula said at least 1 400 Prasa workers cannot be verified.
“We are on course to rid Prasa of all forms of corruption. Those officials who aid and abet these dastardly deeds of corruption will face the full might of the law,” said Mbalula.
“We have a duty to ensure that public resources are channeled towards delivering services to the citizens in a responsible and cost-effective manner,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula added that during phase one, out of the 17 268 recorded employees on Prasa’s payroll system, only 14 268 employees presented themselves for verification.
“During the same period, 1 159 employees resigned. Failure by 3 000 employees to come forward for physical verification led to suspicions that there could be a number of ghost employees at Prasa.”
Prasa then commenced with the investigations that flagged 2 143 employees, who were grouped into different categories:
- Possible ghost employees who could not be physically verified
- Employees masquerading as somebody else, thus possible identity theft
- Fraudulent qualifications submitted
- Employees with serious criminal offences
“The preliminary investigation revealed that 1 480 employees either cannot be physically verified and their files or documentation are non-existent, while others resigned without the necessary supporting documentation at the start of the project.
“The investigation also revealed a number of instances where ID photos do not match the face of employees. This has triggered further investigations.
“Our efforts must translate into Prasa becoming a truly credible and ethical organisation that prides itself on its professional ethos and robust governance systems.”
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