National Treasury open to relief funding for Prasa

[John Ashworth]

National Treasury open to relief funding for Prasa, says Transport DG

National Treasury has responded favourably to a request from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) for relief funding, director-general of transport Alec Moemi said on Tuesday.

Moemi told the portfolio committee on transport the treasury reacted "quite warmly" to a request from Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to help shore up the rail agency, which is in disarray after years of mismanagement and corruption.

He said a tranche of funding had been approved on Monday, but declined to give further information for the time being.

Finance Minister Tito Mboweni is on record saying he would rather help Prasa - which now has an operating deficit of R1.8 billion - than shore up South African Airways because the majority of the country's citizens needed a functioning commuter rail system rather than an airline...