Prasa issues new security tender

THE PASSENGER Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) has issued a new tender in a bid to regulate previous irregular processes.

Prasa spokesperson Nana Zenani said the new tender had already been advertised on the Treasury tender bulletin, and said a compulsory tender briefing session would be held today at 9am at Prasa House in Pretoria.

Zenani said the new security tender process would be open to all, allowing new companies the opportunity to apply.

The tender comes after Prasa placed its Western Cape head of security, Ernest Hendricks, along with two of his colleagues, on suspension pending the outcome of an investigation into whether there was a security lapse which resulted in the torching of 12 train coaches at Cape Town Station on April 21.

Prasa group chief executive Nkosinathi Sishi, also served the previous security company, Iliso, which rendered security services at Cape Town Station, with an intention to suspend its services.

Iliso was given five days to explain why Prasa should not suspend its services for the same reason.

The #UniteBehind coalition group said Hendricks’ suspension raised red flags.

“We have been investigating the dire state of security at Prasa, in particular the worrying influence that contracted security companies have over the security structures at Metrorail, in the Western Cape in particular,” said #UniteBehind secretary Zackie Achmat.

Achmat said #UniteBehind had been engaging with the issue of security, most recently filing court papers to gain access to information on the security contracts that govern the provision of outside security guards.

“This action followed a year-long, fruitless Promotion of Access to Information (PAIA) process to gain access to the documents regarding security services in Prasa Western Cape.”

Achmat said investigations into state capture at Prasa revealed that security contracts had been used by corrupt individuals to siphon money from Prasa without consequence.

“Roy Moodley’s Royal Security earned at least R300m from Prasa. Arthur Fraser’s Resurgent Risk won more than R80m for security assessments that do not appear to exist.”