The EELC represents #UniteBehind and Equal Education in a case to review the appointment of the interim board of PRASA, and that board’s decision to suspend its legal panel. This case is of critical important because corruption and maladministration at the rail agency has led to thousands, including learners, suffering from unsafe and inefficient train operations. The interim board’s unlawful appointment and actions appeared to have taken aim at undermining efforts to address this poor state of affairs.
While this case is ongoing, a company called Siyaya, which had entered into suspect contracts with PRASA, concluded secretive settlement agreements with the interim board, and was able to have those agreements made orders of court. The result was that PRASA would be forced to pay around R57 million of public funds to Siyaya. In order to obtain the court orders, the board relied on its resolution to suspend its legal panel – the very resolution which is the subject of #UniteBehind’s and Equal Education’s pending legal review. For this reason, the EELC represented #UniteBehind in an urgent application to prevent the sheriff from paying any funds to Siyaya.
Thankfully, the chair of the interim board resigned, and the Minister of Transport has since appointed a new board. As a result of this, and of the courageous work of PRASA’s legal division, before the hearing #UniteBehind urgent application PRASA itself launched an application to rescind the Siyaya court orders and for an interdict against the sherrif’s paying Siyaya, which was granted. #UniteBehind is continuing the challenge to the original appointment of the now former interim board.
Click below to view relevant court papers
