Zondo learns of Transnet board’s generosity to Siyabonga Gama – The Citizen

Taxpayers disbursed a total of R13 million for the settlement agreement of former Transnet group CEO Siyabonga Gama, the State Capture Investigation Commission heard on Monday.

The chairman of the commission, Supreme Court Vice President Raymond Zondo, commented that Gama’s settlement agreement was extremely generous and, to top it off, Gama had been convicted of three serious acts of misconduct.

Zondo heard testimony on Monday from the former chairman of the Transnet board of directors, Mafika Mkhwanazi, who led the negotiations on Gama’s settlement agreement.

Zondo heard that Gama’s full salary and benefits were restored because Mkhwanazi was convinced that there was slight doubt that Transnet could lose the litigation if it is determined that his dismissal was unjustified or unjustified.

Mkhwanazi told Zondo that all payments owed to Gama were to be made in 2011.

Zondo also heard that Gama was paid 4 million rand in costs, a figure Mkhwanazi said he was under the impression was much less.

Mkhwanazi said he assumed that the departments that process Gama’s cost payment, the Transnet group’s finances and the group’s legal area, would have verified each invoice before making payments.

Zondo also heard that when Gama returned to Transnet on February 23, 2011, after a final six-month written warning in effect from June 29 to December 29, 2010, an issue that Zondo said was “without sense”.

Zondo asked Mkhwanazi why the final written warning was not in effect at the time of Gama’s reinstatement in light that he was convicted of three acts of misconduct.

Mkhwanazi admitted that the problem with Gama’s final written warning is pointless.

The commission has risen for lunch.

The commission is expected to also hear testimony from Siyabonga Mahlangu, who is a former adviser to former minister Malusi Gigaba.

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