'Prasa paid R31.5m to keep one train station safe'

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa says in a court affidavit the R3.9-billion contracts it awarded to keep dozens of train stations safe were unauthorised‚ unlawful and a waste of money.

In an explosive affidavit filed at the Pretoria High Court‚ the Prasa group executive in charge of legal risk and compliance‚ Onica Martha Ngoye‚ alleges that certain of the rail agency’s executive seemingly bent over backwards to ensure that IT and security company Siyangena Technologies was awarded increasingly lucrative deals – without proper tender processes taking place.

She claims this resulted in the installation of outdated‚ overpriced and ineffective security systems when less expensive and far more effective systems were available.

Ngoye says Prasa wants arbitration agreements reached between itself and Siyangena set aside so its disputes with the company can finally be aired in public‚ before a court of law.

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