Popo Molefe to put Transnet back on track

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomes and congratulates the new board of Transnet under the leadership of Popo Molefe.

Molefe has a proven track record of tackling corruption head on and this is what Transnet needs now, fearless and strong leadership to identify and root out corruption and maladministration in this critical component of our economy.

“We want to commend this bold and courageous move by Minister Pravin Gordhan in this mission of fixing the ailing state-owned companies. These companies are supposed to be drivers of the economy and not a burden carried by South African taxpayers. To date we have seen decisive action at Eskom, Denel and now Transnet.  We are eagerly awaiting announcements on SA Express, SAFCOL and Alexkor,” says Rudie Heyneke, OUTA Portfolio Manager for Transport.

The outgoing Transnet board under chairmanship of Linda Mabaso was for the last couple of years in the news for all the wrong reasons. The 1 064 locomotive and the harbour crane deal were symptoms of a company in the grip of corruption and state capture.  The new board should also take a stance in the case brought by Transnet pensioners in their quest to get answers on decisions made on the Transnet Pension Funds more than a decade ago.

“The appointment of Popo Molefe and the new board members was long overdue and OUTA believes that the corruption clean-up at Transnet will now start with urgency.  The new board consist of experienced and skilled individuals who proved their worth in the past at various companies and organisations. Minister Gordhan once again showed that he prefers to populate the state-owned entities’ boards with business, finance, legal and technical experts, rather than to be ‘politically correct’,” says Heyneke.

Molefe has in the past condemned corruption at SOEs and spoke out against looting there.

OUTA has full confidence in Molefe’s leadership and will assist the new board in their clean-up of Transnet. This once-productive SOE should be free of corruption, dubious transactions and maladministration.

OUTA wishes the new board members a very successful tenure.