Treasury report reveals massive Prasa corruption

Prasa dished out R2.5bn worth of irregular or illegal contracts between 2012 and 2015, according to a Treasury report leaked by the NGO UniteBehind. It states that 13 forensic and legal firms were contracted in 2016 to analyse contracts worth R15bn cited in the Public Protector’s report Derailed. According to a Beeld report, UniteBehind says Deputy Finance Minister Sfiso Buthelezi is directly implicated in state capture at Prasa and Metrorail as he was chairperson of Prasa’s board during the period. Buthelezi has repeatedly denied any involvement in corrupt activities at Prasa. The Treasury report says information and supporting documents were missing or not available to investigators. UniteBehind says the NPA has failed to act in the last two years despite evidence of systemic corruption and state capture. Former Prasa board chairperson Popo Molefe opened about 40 corruption dockets at the Hawks in 2015. One of the contracts cited in the Treasury’s report is R22.6m paid to SN Project Management – being run from a house in Klerksdorp, North West – for vegetation control in KZN. Enza Construction got three Prasa contracts worth more than R310m without any tender procedure after Prasa procurement head Josephat Phungula recommended them to then Prasa CEO Lucky Montana.