Pretoria - The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) has called for the immediate disbanding of the board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) over allegations of corruption, nepotism, criminal activities and flawed nomination processes.
On a mass march to Prasa House yesterday, the trade union delivered a list of demands, in memorandums sent to Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, the board itself and group chief executive Tsepho Montana.
The unionists called for the immediate removal of board chairman Dr Popo Molefe, board member and chairwoman of the audit committee Zodwa Manase and member William Solomon Steenkamp.
“The board’s existence is illegitimate and illegal, therefore all decisions made by it must be invalidated with immediate effect,” said a memo addressed to Peters.
“Failure to adhere to this will lead to a long and protracted mission by the organised formations of the working class movement.”
The mission would be joined by strategic and tactical allies, to ensure that stumbling blocks frustrating the “smooth sailing” of the national democratic revolution are removed, Satawu added.
Satawu was a trade union that believed in the principle of workplace participation by members and un-unionised workers as part of its strategic objectives of fostering democracy and safeguarding governance institutions of the country, it said.
“During nationwide consultations with members, broad consensus was reached and we were mandated to table a list of demands,” the memos read.
To the board they said: “Board members must withdraw themselves immediately.”
Reasons for this demand included alleged relations between Molefe and the late underworld boss Brett Kebble, and Molefe’s unresolved case of molestation involving a 10-year-old girl.
Manase, they said, had four counts of tax evasion against her, had involved herself in a conflict of interest, and had a history of default payments with staff employed in her company.
Addressing Prasa’s Montana, Satawu demanded he withdraw a letter stating his non-availability to serve Prasa beyond April next year, or he issue a guarantee in writing that there would be no retrenchments due to the modernisation of Prasa operations.
The unionists said he should issue a directive to allow all Prasa workers to use buses at a discounted rate, and that the medical aid subsidy be expanded to all workers.
They also called for the standardisation of salaries across all Prasa units.
“The permanent filling of all vacancies must be concluded within three months.
“Also, uniform and working equipment must be provided to all Prasa employees within three months,” they said.
“It is unacceptable that Satawu stand by and watch a public entity being run down,” the union added.
The documents were received by officials of the Department of Transport, and Montana himself.
A deadline of seven days within which to respond has been given on some of the issues.
Pretoria News