Who are the shady middlemen who derailed Prasa? We turn our attention to Auswell ‘tall trains’ Mashaba, whose business Swifambo Rail Leasing is one of the locomotives of corruption at Prasa.
In last week’s instalment of Unaccountable, we discussed the politicians, board members and institutions that enabled, participated in and covered up systemic corruption at Prasa. This is the first instalment that looks at the middlemen and corporations that made a mint from corrupt deals.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa’s (Prasa’s) service is in disarray. This includes Shosholoza Meyl, which runs the long-distance railway services across South Africa. Mainline Passenger Services (MPS), which oversees Shosholoza Meyl, reported a staggering 90% decline in passengers, from 3.8 million in 2008/2009 to 387,500 in 2018/2019. This is according to a presentation to Parliament by the director-general of the Department of Transport, Alec Moemi, last year.
***********************
