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The Portfolio Committee on Transport has on Tuesday voiced concerns with the Passanger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa), for not showing up at a scheduled meeting in Parliament.

The Chairperson of the Committee Ms Dikeledi Magadzi said the Committee was disgusted by this conduct, as it was not the first time that Prasa Board had behaved in this manner.

“We are disappointed as the Committee. This meeting with Prasa should have happened last week already but the Committee has had to reschedule because Prasa did not honour the meeting,” Ms Magadzi said.

“The service Prasa is rendering is meant to benefit the poor, and the cornerstone of that starts with being accountable to Parliament who appropriates funding to the entities and Departments,” she said.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer for Prasa, Mr Cromet Molepo, told the Committee there was confusion with the invite from the Committee and that it reached Prasa only yesterday. He did not elaborate what the confusion was.

Ms Magadzi said even if there was confusion with the invitation, it was Prasa’s responsibility to call and find out what and who the Committee wanted.
“Allegiance and accountability should be to the millions of poor people who rely on trains for daily living and participation into the economy of this country. Prasa should respect Parliament,” she said.

The meeting has been adjourned to 14h00, for the Prasa Board to arrive in Cape Town.

Issued by Parliamentary Communication Services on behalf of the Committee Chairperson, Ms Dikeledi Magadzi