CAPE TOWN – The board of Transnet on Thursday suspended two senior Transnet executives – Thamsanqa Jiyane, the chief officer: advanced manufacturing of Transnet Engineering and Lindiwe Mdletshe, the senior manager: strategic sourcing for Transnet Freight Rail.
Both employees are implicated in multiple investigations commissioned by the Transnet board, primarily the awarding of the 1 064 Locomotives Acquisition tender, the value of which escalated to more than R54 billion.
On August 15, both employees were served with formal notices of the intention to place them on precautionary suspension and were granted the opportunity to put forward a defence.
At a special meeting on Wednesday the board considered representations by the two employees as to why they should not be suspended.
The board concluded that representations by the employees were implausible and that their continued presence at Transnet is likely to hinder and prejudice further forensic investigations that the Board has instituted.
Further charges against the implicated parties include the withholding of company information that is crucial and relevant to the locomotives tender from the forensic investigation, not co-operating with investigators and refusing to hand over company property in the form of laptops, mobile phones and other devices.