Prasa standoff: Molefe says appointment of interim leadership is not above board

The appointment of an interim board at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) was a calculated move by transport minister Dipuo Peters‚ former Prasa chairperson Popo Molefe said on Monday.

Earlier on Monday Peters announced an interim Prasa board to replace the leadership she axed last week.

Peters’s announcement came amid an urgent court application by Molefe and his former Prasa colleagues to have their dismissal from the board declared illegal.

• READ MORE: Minister announces new Prasa boardTransport minister Dipuo Peters unveiled a new board of the Passenger Rail agency of South Africa (Prasa) on Monday‚ after axing their predecessors last week.

Molefe said he and other former board members had written to the minister on Friday‚ asking her to supply reasons for dissolving the board and requesting and undertaking not to appoint a new board. The minister responded by saying that the requests were too short notice and that she needed more time‚ Molefe said.

“Quite clearly they were trying to pull the wool over our eyes. They knew what they were planning‚” Molefe told eNCA on Monday after Peters announced the interim board.

• READ MORE: Popo Molefe due to file court papers in latest twist in Prasa’s boardroom battleThe boardroom battle at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) is set for another twist on Monday.

The interim board chairman is Nazir Ali‚ former CEO of the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral).

Other board members include union boss Frans Baleni‚ former transport department spokesman Tiyani Rikhotso‚ South African Local Government Association (Salga) CEO Xolile George‚ as well as a representative from National Treasury.