National Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, disbanded his much lauded Prasa war room yesterday, admitting the sukkeling state entity was a “broken” business in need of urgent intervention.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) - incorporating the Rail Commuter Corporation, Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl - has in the past two years lost almost R1bn to train fires, vandalism, public disorder, train collisions and floods.
Mbalula gave an update in Braamfontein on the work being done to bring changes to Prasa.
The parastatal has been damaged by widespread corruption and mismanagement but the minister said he had a “robust plan” to turn things around.
“Prasa has suffered blows from many years of mismanagement and deteriorating corporate governance. Today it is a broken organisation, struggling to provide an efficient commuter and passenger rail service,” said Mbalula.
He said overcrowded trains, ageing infrastructure, rampant crime and vandalism, and poor internal
controls were the order of the day at Prasa.
“In the 2018/19 financial year, the auditor-general has flagged irregular expenditure, which has escalated to R27.2bn,” said the minister.
His department initiated a war room in August, which has unearthed “many landmines”.
The war room’s mandate came to an end on 31 December but Mbalula said it was successful as it has “energised” management and helped authorities understand the extent of Prasa’s challenges.