Former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa chief executive Lucky Montana has torn apart Popo Molefe’s affidavit, claiming it distorted facts and was misleading to the state capture commission.
Montana has been addressing accusations and statements made in former Prasa board chairperson, Molefe’s affidavit.
He has not only accused Molefe of “playing politics” but also claimed Molefe inflated Prasa’s irregular expenditure to create work for Werksmans Attorneys.
Werksmans’ legal representation has already made the commission aware that it made an application to cross-examine Montana.
Testifying at the Zondo Commission, Montana also denied there was billions of rand in irregular expenditure during his time at the rail agency.
He said that Prasa had unqualified audit opinions for all the years he was there.
He said Molefe manufactured facts to make Prasa look like it was dysfunctional when it was not.
While testifying, Montana also said that the Gupta family and former president Jacob Zuma’s son, Duduzane, attempted to manipulate Prasa’s rolling stock programme “but I stopped them”.
He said the Guptas hoped to garner favour because of their closeness with the former president, but Montana refused to help them with “illegal things”.
“I said you cannot extort money in our names. I said you cannot tell people outside the country that you are working for us and you are working for President Zuma.
“Tony Gupta and Duduzane Zuma were there … and I said if you guys go out of the country and you want money from these companies and you claim to work for the president, I am going to fight that and I will convey that to the president – and I did that,” Montana said.