PHOTO COURTESY NPA
The Palm Ridge Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Johannesburg has postponed the high-profile fraud and corruption case against former Transnet executives, including ex-Group Chief Executive Officer Brian Molefe, to 6 October 2025 to allow for further investigations.
Molefe appeared in court alongside his co-accused: Anoj Singh, former Group Chief Financial Officer; Siyabonga Gama, former Chief Executive Officer; and Thamsanqa Jiyane, former Chief Procurement Officer in the Transport Freight Rail (TFR) division.
All four were granted bail of R50,000 each, with stringent conditions attached.
They face 18 charges, including contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), fraud, corruption, and breaches of the Companies Act.
The charges stem from Transnet’s 2011 Market Demand Strategy (MDS) — a multi-year infrastructure plan designed to shift freight from road to rail through significant investment in port, rail, and pipeline infrastructure.
Central to the allegations is the irregular procurement of locomotives from Chinese manufacturers CSR and CNR.
According to the state, due process was deliberately bypassed in favour of CSR during the R3.2 billion tender for 95 locomotives — a contract that ultimately ballooned to over R3.4 billion. Further contracts for 100 and 1,064 locomotives followed similar patterns of alleged corruption, with contract values escalating from R3.8 billion to R4.8 billion, and R38.1 billion to a staggering R54 billion respectively.
Prosecutors allege the accused used their senior positions within the state-owned enterprise to manipulate procurement processes, inflate costs, and steer contracts toward favoured suppliers.
This case forms part of broader state capture investigations, and it echoes testimony heard during the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, which revealed how billions were siphoned from key state institutions like Transnet.
