South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) will be seeking a meeting with the Minister of Transport to gain a better understanding of what is happening at Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
An article in the Sunday Times this weekend alleged that Prasa acting CEO Collins Letsoalo had given himself a more than 300% salary increase to put him on par with former CEO Lucky Montana. When he left Prasa Montana’s package totalled R5.9 million. However, holding a press briefing this morning Letsoalo clarified that the salary package was duly approved by the board of Prasa.
More worrying for us, however, is the turnover rate of CEOs under the current board. There have been three CEOs so far and yet the circumstances at the rail agency continue to deteriorate. Under the guidance of the current board, Prasa is all but bankrupt. Managerial targets are not met and there has been a spike in train delays and avoidable accidents. Take for instance the latest incident where two trains running on one line collided, injuring more than 100 people.
Unfortunately, the losers in this situation are the poorest of the poor whose dream of a safe, reliable, affordable and integrated public transport system is still deferred. SATAWU is also gravely concerned about our members’ job security if nothing is done to ensure that Prasa is sustainable.
Sanity must prevail and therefore Prasa must be returned to a state where it can operate optimally. The revitalisation of the trains and rail infrastructure must be put back on track. For these reasons, SATAWU will seek a meeting with the shareholder, the Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters.
For more information contact:
Zanele Sabela, SATAWU Media Officer
011 403 2077 / info@satawu.org.za