Question NW679 to the Minister of Transport
04 April 2016 - NW679
Hunsinger, Mr CH to ask the Minister of Transport
(1)With reference to her reply to question 162 on 22 February 2016, how many of the specified persons on suspension at the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (PRASA) have been suspended for a period of (a) one month to a year, (b) one to two years, (c) two to three years and (d) more than three years; (2) (a) what is the nature of the intense investigations into misconduct cases at PRASA and (b) what mechanisms will be put in place to build capacity in this regard?
Reply:
(1)(a) 229 employees were suspended for 1 month to 12 months.
(1)(b) 3 employees were suspended for 1 year to 2 years.
(1)(c) 0 employees were suspended for 2 to 3 years.
(1)(d) 0 employees were suspended for more than 3 years.
2(a) Some investigations involve people who are external to PRASA who need to be interviewed and make statements. PRASA has no control as to their availability to assist in the investigations and some are difficult to trace. Some investigations cannot be concluded quickly because when the Investigators are about to close the investigation, new evidence comes up and such need to be followed up. Most of these investigations are a result of whistle-blowing and there is a process in dealing with such and the protection of whistle-blowers is of paramount importance.
2(b) Dedicated teams have been established to deal with investigations relating to employee misdemeanours and more personnel will be trained to do investigations. Some of the investigations can be done by line managers without only depending on the Investigators from Protection and Security Services. External resources that specialise in investigations (Private Investigators) will also be considered depending on the workload.