Prasa CEO Lucky Montana on October 17, 2012 as the Rail Agency launches a multi-million rand empowerment deal in Johannesburg, South Africa.
PARLIAMENT - Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana on Tuesday told Parliament&39;s inquiry into state capture at state-owned enterprises that he had come under pressure from the Gupta family as far back as 2012.
Montana read from a 65-page submission, in which he claims there was pressure to appoint Mzwanele &39;Jimmy&39; Manyi - the owner of a Gupta-founded media company - and "two Indian chaps" to the board of the railway agency.
He said that he was summoned to the home of former transport minister Ben Martins. Within half an hour, two of the Gupta brothers, as well as President Jacob Zuma&39;s son Duduzane arrived.
He says he is disappointed that Ben Martins brought up his name in relation to the Gupta’s especially amid serious state capture allegations against them EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
Montana claimed the Guptas were interested in a tender to replace Metrorail&39;s entire fleet of trains. This was while Prasa was in the process of a bidding process.
The former Prasa head said Duduzane Zuma and Tony Gupta were "shameless" and promised to "look after" him if he assisted them.
Montana: They told Martins I was not cooperating with them. They successfully blocked a Prasa AGM and he (Martins) assured them they would be able to appoint a new board EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
Montana said he was handed a burner phone so he could stay in contact with the Guptas and shortly after, received the CVs of two men he was told "had" to sit on the procurement team. The men were Salim Essa and Iqbal Sharma, both of whom have strong links to the Guptas through a variety of companies.
Montana: They told Martins I was not cooperating with them. They successfully blocked a Prasa AGM and he (Martins) assured them they would be able to appoint a new board EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
Montana read from a 2012 letter he wrote to then-Prasa board chair Sfiso Buthelezi, complaining of interference from the Guptas.
Montana told MPs that in 2014, the railway agency had become a political battleground and that even though he took a strong stance against the Guptas, they had strong backing.
In his letter Montana says the arrogance of the family to go as far as restructuring and appointing a board that would do their bidding was jarring EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
He said that while the Guptas had failed in their bid to infiltrate Prasa in 2012, in 2014, then-transport minister Dipuo Peters helped change the board according to the controversial family&39;s wishes.
Montana accused the former ANC treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize of collaborating with Peters on this.
He also told MPs he threatened to resign when the Guptas pushed for Manyi to be appointed as board chair.
Montana: There’s corruption on both sides. The Gupta’s and in the ANC, we need to fight both EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
Montana: The same people calling for us to fight StateCapture today are the same ones in 2012 who were telling me “be careful, those chaps (Gupta’s) are dangerous” EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
Regarding the too-tall locomotives saga, Montana claimed it was a false media campaign and that the trains are ready to be used.
Montana: Popo Molefe now on the board, went around telling people I am a Gupta and butternut (President Zuma) puppet. They spent R200 million on an investigation into his vicious campaign EskomInquiry eNCA
— Pheladi Sethusa (@pheladi_s) January 30, 2018
