LIVE FEED: State Capture Inquiry - April 20, 2021

Former Prasa chief executive officer Lucky Montana. Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Former Prasa chief executive officer Lucky Montana. Picture: David Ritchie/African News Agency (ANA) Archives

Published Apr 20, 2021

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Johannesburg - The Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, Corruption and Fraud in the Public Sector including Organs of State will continue on Tuesday with former Prasa chief executive Lucky Montana testifying at 9am.

Montana, who appeared last week Friday, told the commission that he decided to resign because he knew he would lose his job after defying powerful people in the ANC.

At that time, Montana tore into the affidavit submitted by former Prasa board chairperson Popo Molefe.

He accused Molefe of distorting facts and misleading the commission.

He said he had waited two years to address the commission.

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He spoke of their relationship with Montana, saying Molefe had started a campaign to place him in a bad light. He said Molefe would have loved to dismiss him but knew he couldn't.

"I even told him [Molefe], you are asking me to stay for another three years but you are busy sharpening your spear to stab me,” Montana said.

Montana denied that there were billions of rand in irregular expenditure during his time at the rail agency.

He said Prasa had unqualified audit opinions for the years he was there.

He said Molefe manufactured facts to make Prasa look like it was dysfunctional when it was not.

Montana said the Gupta family and former president Jacob Zuma's son Duduzane attempted to manipulate Prasa's rolling stock programme "but I stopped them".

He said the Guptas hoped to garner favour because of their closeness with the former president, but Montana refused to help them with "illegal things".

"Tony Gupta and Duduzane Zuma were there… and I said: ’If you guys go out of the country and you want money from these companies and you claim to work for the president, I am going to fight that and I will convey that to the president,’ and I did that."

Montana accused the commission of being biased and having a "predetermined political agenda".

Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo told him that he would accept all concerns raised and was keen to hear all sides of the story before any determination was made. He reassured Montana that there was no predetermined outcome on his innocence or guilt.

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