The United National Transport Union on Wednesday applauded the suspension and resignation of top executives at State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in recent months after being implicated in corruption, but bemoaned that none had yet been prosecuted.

In a statement, UNTU noted that public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan two months ago told the annual organised labour school of the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) that the prosecution of corrupt SOE officials was imminent.

"Although the leadership of UNTU is grateful for any steps to rid our SOEs of the claws of State capture, we are concerned that the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority do not seem to be playing their part," the union's general secretary Steve Harris said.

It said acting the CEO of state logistics company Transnet had told UNTU that more than 300 of its employees had been implicated in 189 audits over the last few years.

Similarly, it had been four years since officials at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa had been accused of corruption, but none had been criminally charged to date. In the same vein, nothing had happened to more than 2,000 employees of State power utility Eskom implicated in irregularities during lifestyle audits.

"UNTU agrees with minister Gordhan that corruption is a cancer eating South African society," Harris said.

"It is of utmost importance that those who allegedly benefited from money that was meant to improve our country for everyone who lives in it, must be held accountable. They must be criminally charged so that the law can take its course."