LIVE FEED: State Capture Inquiry - May 3, 2021

Former Group Chief Executive Officer Lucky Montana is expected to take the stand at the Zondo commission. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Former Group Chief Executive Officer Lucky Montana is expected to take the stand at the Zondo commission. Picture: Itumeleng English/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Published May 3, 2021

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Johannesburg - The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture will resume on Monday morning with evidence from former Prasa executive Lucky Montana.

The former group chief executive returns to the commission, to share testimony relating to allegations of corruption at the railway agency during his tenure.

Montana previously tore into former Prasa board chairperson Popo Molefe's testimony.

He accused Molefe of distorting facts and misleading the commission. He said he had waited two years to address the commission.

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He spoke of their relationship, stating that Molefe had established a campaign to place him in a bad light.

"I even told him (Molefe), you are asking me to stay for another three years but you are busy sharpening your spear to stab me,” Montana said.

He has denied there were billions of rand in irregular expenditure during his time at the rail agency.

Montana most recently accused former head of legal Martha Ngoye, of "clutching at straws" to pin him to irregular contracts and maladministration at the parastatal.

Ngoye and general manager of group legal services, Fani Dingiswayo, had claimed that they attempted to prevent irregularities, maladministration and alleged corruption under Montana’s watch. The alleged that he had fired them for that in 2015.

Montana said Ngoye wanted to be seen as a corruption-buster, but she allowed major companies to take advantage of Prasa.

He said Ngoye failed to defend Prasa when outdoor advertising giants Primedia and Continental were making R300 million in revenue from the rail agency's stations.

Montana also told the commission’s chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo that Dingiswayo and Ngoye were part of a group who were intent on discrediting him by "inappropriately" linking him to the Guptas.

He said they had also attempted to link him to controversial Durban businessman Roy Moodley, who was an executive at Prodigy Business Solutions – a company that had received a massive training contract from Prasa.

Montana has defended the R80m contract that Prasa entered into with Prodigy. Prodigy was offering customer service training for young professionals. The training was initially expected to cost R18m that would be claimed back from Transport Seta but Prodigy was paid R82m over five years.

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