Pretoria – Transport Minister Dipuo Peters has welcomed the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) Board’s decision to appoint the new Acting Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of PRASA with effect from 1 July 2016.
Minister Peters noted that recently, PRASA and its administration was placed under heavy scrutiny by the media, stakeholders and South African citizen informed by the ongoing situation that prevailed within the Agency.
She said that the department has made all endeavours to restore the confidence and inculcate the culture of good governance within the entity.
“The interventions made are intended to ensure that we attend and correct all other issues that drew negative publicity and brought about a sense of insecurity and low moral to the employees and our partners in the rail industry.
“We have noticed some improvements however, we needed to raise the bar and take some unprecedented steps to accelerate our interventions with the view of making PRASA one of the best entities whilst improving access to transport and mobility underpinned by efficiency and effectiveness to the general public,” said Minister Peters.
The Minister commended and welcomed the decisive intervention by the Board of Control in identifying and requesting that a senior official in the Department of Transport be seconded to PRASA to navigate and steer the ship to the attainment of the desired objectives.
She said the department believes that the secondment of the Chief Financial Officer will bring with it the necessary financial prudence, acute management skills and necessary strategic leadership which will be complimented by the human capital currently in existence within the agency.
“We will continuously monitor progress and ensure that necessary controls and systems are put in place to promote good governance. The commuters in our country who heavily relies on public transport as well as the citizen deserves the best, and we dare not fail them.
“Let us all assume our joint responsibility to support PRASA leadership in its endeavours to turn the tide. I wish to re-commit my unwavering and undivided support to the PRASA Board, management, staff as well as the South African public,” said Minister Peters.
