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Johannesburg - As suspended Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) CEO Siyabonga Gama prepares to take his battle with his employer to court, it has emerged that a 10-page anonymous letter prompted a probe that led to him being found guilty of irregularly awarding a security contract to a company owned by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda.
The date on which Gama will be sentenced has not been set but the spotlight is firmly on advocate Mark Antrobus, the man who chaired the disciplinary hearing that prosecuted the embattled freight boss.
He is expected to recommend that Gama be fired for his indiscretion, which stems from him awarding an R18m security tender to a firm owned by his former golf partner, Nyanda.
City Press understands that an anonymous letter submitted to Transnet's graft hotline in September 2008 triggered the investigation into Gama's handling of the tender, which was awarded to General Nyanda Security Advisory Services (GNS).
The letter, which was also sent to Gama and former Transnet boss Maria Ramos, alleged irregularities in TFR's security department, specifically that GNS secured the contract in an underhanded manner.
After receiving the letter, Ramos instructed then chief financial officer Chris Wells and head of legal affairs Vuyo Kahla to get to the bottom of the complaint. This information is contained in a 200-page judgment drafted by Antrobus, who passed the guilty verdict.
Gama's lawyer Themba Langa said he was in the dark about who wrote the letter.
But Gama has previously pointed a finger at Wells, whom he believes was behind the charges that led to the disciplinary hearing. He claimed that Wells, now Transnet's acting chief executive, wanted to block his path to becoming the next Transnet boss.
Up until his suspension last year, Gama was considered heir apparent to Ramos, courtesy of his experience in running two of Transnet's businesses – the rail freight and ports operations.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu declined to disclose details surrounding the letter, whose contents were used to charge Gama.
Dludlu said: "We have nothing further to add on the...matter. Suffice to say Gama has been found guilty of all the charges brought against him, including one of a breakdown in his relationship with the company."
But he confirmed that the whistle-blowing hotline was a vital string in the parastatal's fight against fraud and corruption.
Since its launch in 2005, the hotline, managed on behalf of Transnet by accounting firm Deloitte, has recorded 2?008 complaints. About 402 of these have been investigated and disciplinary action taken.
Langa said last week that Gama would go to court to challenge the disciplinary proceedings against him on the grounds that Antrobus was not 100% independent since he had worked for Transnet in the past.
- City Press
The date on which Gama will be sentenced has not been set but the spotlight is firmly on advocate Mark Antrobus, the man who chaired the disciplinary hearing that prosecuted the embattled freight boss.
He is expected to recommend that Gama be fired for his indiscretion, which stems from him awarding an R18m security tender to a firm owned by his former golf partner, Nyanda.
City Press understands that an anonymous letter submitted to Transnet's graft hotline in September 2008 triggered the investigation into Gama's handling of the tender, which was awarded to General Nyanda Security Advisory Services (GNS).
The letter, which was also sent to Gama and former Transnet boss Maria Ramos, alleged irregularities in TFR's security department, specifically that GNS secured the contract in an underhanded manner.
After receiving the letter, Ramos instructed then chief financial officer Chris Wells and head of legal affairs Vuyo Kahla to get to the bottom of the complaint. This information is contained in a 200-page judgment drafted by Antrobus, who passed the guilty verdict.
Gama's lawyer Themba Langa said he was in the dark about who wrote the letter.
But Gama has previously pointed a finger at Wells, whom he believes was behind the charges that led to the disciplinary hearing. He claimed that Wells, now Transnet's acting chief executive, wanted to block his path to becoming the next Transnet boss.
Up until his suspension last year, Gama was considered heir apparent to Ramos, courtesy of his experience in running two of Transnet's businesses – the rail freight and ports operations.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu declined to disclose details surrounding the letter, whose contents were used to charge Gama.
Dludlu said: "We have nothing further to add on the...matter. Suffice to say Gama has been found guilty of all the charges brought against him, including one of a breakdown in his relationship with the company."
But he confirmed that the whistle-blowing hotline was a vital string in the parastatal's fight against fraud and corruption.
Since its launch in 2005, the hotline, managed on behalf of Transnet by accounting firm Deloitte, has recorded 2?008 complaints. About 402 of these have been investigated and disciplinary action taken.
Langa said last week that Gama would go to court to challenge the disciplinary proceedings against him on the grounds that Antrobus was not 100% independent since he had worked for Transnet in the past.
- City Press
