Siyabonga Gama fired as Transnet CEO

22nd October 2018 By: African News Agency

 Siyabonga Gama fired as Transnet CEO

Former Transnet CEO Siyabonga Gama
Photo by: Creamer Media

Siyabonga Gama has been fired as group CEO of Transnet, the State-owned freight and rail company confirmed on Sunday.

Transnet board member Edward Kieswetter confirmed Gama's dismissal on eNCA's The Fix programme on Sunday evening.

“I can confirm that a letter was hand-delivered to Gama to inform him of the board's intention to continue with the termination... [of Gama as a] member of the board," Kieswetter said.

On September 27, Gama was given 10 days to submit written representations as to why he should not be fired, but Gama approached the Labour Court in Johannesburg to interdict the intention to dismiss him.

The reasons supplied to Gama were alleged serious violations of his financial, procurement, and fiduciary duties.

"The board of Transnet has today [September 27] served Mr Siyabonga Gama with a letter informing him of the board's intention to terminate his employment as group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Transnet SoC Ltd," Transnet chairperson Popo Molefe said at the time.

"As a result, the board has lost trust and confidence in Mr Gama's ability to lead Transnet as GCEO," he said.

Two law firms, Werksmans and MNS, have implicated Gama in alleged breaches of procurement rules on a R54-billion contract to buy 1064 new locomotives.