Parliament Lauds Prasa Administrator’s Plans To Fix Broken Rail Agency

Thebe Mabanga

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has managed to reduce its budget deficit from R3.1 billion to just below R1 billion but still has R4.6 billion it needs to pay to creditors.

The agency has also suspended 12 senior employees on various allegations and has started a lifestyle audit for 300 of its most senior employees.

This emerged at a briefing given by administrator Bongisizwe Mpondo and Transport minister Fikile Mbalula to the portfolio committee on transport in Parliament.

The virtual briefing was to update the committee on the work done to stabilise Prasa since Mpondo was appointed in February following the dissolution of the Prasa board, or its “firing” as Mbalula called it.

Mpondo has been running the agency with a technical advisory team and an exco comprised of a range of secondments from various parts of government and agencies including the Council for Scientific