A Metrorail employee who allegedly stole R8-million from the parastatal has been given a six-month suspended sentence by an internal disciplinary inquiry.
The employee and a colleague - whose disciplinary hearing has not been finalised - are also facing criminal charges. But both are still working at Metrorail.
In response to a parliamentary question from the DA's Manny de Freitas, Transport Minister S'busiso Ndebele said yesterday that the two officials had allegedly transferred R8-million from Metrorail's account to "a number of privately held accounts in June and July 2008".
The theft was uncovered by a forensic investigation.
He said the Passenger Rail Agency of SA had been asked to review the sentence, which was "deemed extremely lenient for the nature of the offence".
Ndebele said that "the potential retrieval of the funds will be dependent on the outcome of the criminal and disciplinary cases against the persons".
In response to De Freitas's question about whether the two officials continued to work at Metrorail, Ndebele said: "Criminal and disciplinary investigations against the persons implicated are still in process, and any further action will be dependent on the outcome of these investigations."
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