Passenger Rail Agency of SA, Prasa, Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula, ghost workers, forensic audit, employee verification, Brett Herron

Responding to a Parliamentary question, Minister Fikile Mbalula revealed that a forensic audit into the 3 000 ghost workers at Prasa is ongoing. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

Prasa ghost workers issue going through forensic audit – Mbalula

In March, Minister Fikile Mbalula revealed that there were 3 000 ghost workers at Prasa – so how much have they been paid?

Passenger Rail Agency of SA, Prasa, Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula, ghost workers, forensic audit, employee verification, Brett Herron

Responding to a Parliamentary question, Minister Fikile Mbalula revealed that a forensic audit into the 3 000 ghost workers at Prasa is ongoing. Photo: GCIS / Flickr

Good MP Brett Herron got the conversation running about the Passenger Rail Agency of SA’s (Prasa) 3 000 ghost workers. In a Parliamentary question, Herron asked Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula how much had been paid to these ghost workers.

Prasa has completed its first phase of verification

In his response on Friday, 10 June, Mbalula said a forensic audit is ongoing. Prasa has reportedly completed the first phase of its verification of employees. This followed news of the ghost workers receiving full salaries.

“Prasa has concluded the first phase of project Ziveze verification where employees were asked to present themselves in person and submit qualifications and ID copies for verification and vetting. The process is now on the second phase where salaries of all employees who failed to present themselves were locked at the April 2022 payday,”

said Mbalula.

A detailed report regarding the audit will be released when it is completed

Speaking about the halting of salaries, Mbalula said this prompted some employees to present themselves with the necessary information in order for them to be verified and vetted.

“Part of this phase is that internal audit is auditing the project processes until July 2022. In addition, Prasa has commenced a forensic investigation. The detailed reports with financial impact will be submitted at the conclusion of the forensic audit,”

said the Minister.

At the conclusion of the forensic audit, a detailed report, the number of unverified employees, the amount of money paid to the ghost workers and the total loss faced by Prasa will be available, reports TimesLIVE.

Prasa scammed by 3,000 ghost workers, salaries halted – Mbalula

It was previously reported that Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula shared the news that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) was a victim of a scam. Approximately 3,000 ghost workers were uncovered by Prasa.

The revelation came after Prasa went forward with an internal campaign. Mbalula stated that Prasa has Operation Ziveze which assisted in uncovering the thousands of ghost workers. The Minister explained that the salaries that were being paid to the 3,000 ghost workers were stopped in 2021. 

He was briefing the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) with regards to issues the committee found. The committee was conducting oversight visits to Prasa in Gauteng and the Western Cape in January and March. Read the full story here.