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Johannesburg - The Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) was treating its employees like strangers in terms of how the company was being run, said some of its employees on Wednesday.
Staff had also been kept in the dark about how former CEO Lucky Montana left the company, they said.
The employees, represented by senior managers Moffet Mofokeng, Anele Mda, and Sello Maluleke, addressed journalists outside Prasa's headquarters on Wednesday morning.
Mda said the fact they were holding the press conference on the street was an indication of how the company regarded their concerns as employees.
"I think it's abnormal that we are addressing an issue about a company we work for and we are addressing it outside as though we are strangers," she said.
"We were met this morning as we arrived ... with a heavy hand of manhandling where we were told that we have no reason to meet as employees."
She claimed that whatever the employees wanted to do or discuss, it was not going to take place on the company premises.
"We stood firm as employees and said we have been silenced from Day 1 and this is the time where we shall not be silenced anymore."
The employees said they would be reaching out to Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and Transport Minister Dipuo Peters through a memorandum to intervene at the rail agency.
Mofokeng, a former spokesperson for the company, said it was not in a normal state and had problems.
"There's managers, senior managers, and employees of Prasa. We've taken a decision that what is happening, cannot continue. The government has to put its foot down," he said.
"We will not allow the anarchy, the intimidation that is taking place in this building here. Anyone who is perceived to be a Montana person is being investigated."
On July 16, Prasa announced then-CEO Lucky Montana had been dismissed with immediate effect and its current chief of operations, Nathi Khena, would take over Montana's duties until a suitable replacement was found.
A statement released by Prasa on the same day did not reveal any details about why Montana was fired.
Montana's removal comes amid allegations the state-owned entity had put millions of rands into new locomotives which allegedly did not conform to SA rail line standards.
It was, however, unclear whether Montana's dismissal had anything to do with the new locomotives.
Mda, reading the memorandum to be sent to Radebe and Peters, and distributed to Prasa employees to sign, said the board was running the company rather than providing strategic guidance as mandated.
This included the apparent appointment of a PR agency called Forefront Solutions, whose mandate had not yet been communicated to employees and who was apparently unknown to anyone in the company.
"These are the people that have come into the business to take over the work of the employees of Prasa. The question remains who brought them here?" she said.
"We believe that the unofficial position of the board to downsize the corporate office, its divisions and subsidiaries is a stance that confirms what Satawu once said. That there is an agenda to retrench Prasa employees."
She said morale was low at the company amid "corridor talk" of an anticipated purge of employees who were not towing the line.
"We must categorically say we have made attempts to speak to the board, to engage them to say, 'Why are Prasa employees not engaged?'" Mda said.
"We were told by the face of the board and the mouthpiece of the board, [acting spokesperson] Mr [Sipho] Sithole, that this issue is beyond your control. You are going to just have to treat it as business as usual and that's about it. We refuse to accept that."
Maluleke said the employees were not going on strike, and intended to continue with their different responsibilities.
"Prasa is a state-owned enterprise. It has policies that must be adhered to... It can't be correct that you are having policies disregarded by people who are supposed to uphold them," he said.
Montana had been released from his duties but as employees, the only time they hear or see anything was through the media.
"It's a month now. Maybe that question should be answered and I hope it will be posed to the relevant people. It has taken a month and employees have not yet been officially engaged as to such a big decision that affects the organisation," he said.
"You see, we are not representing our jacket, they've [employees] called for the return of Mr Montana because they have concluded that this relief of his duties ... was unlawful."
If Montana's dismissal was lawful, that needed to be proved.
"It can't be that a decision is taken on the 15th and implemented on the 15th. What's the time difference in consulting with the minister before you implement that decision?" he said.
Sithole, approached for comment by News24, indicated his willingness to respond to the employees' allegations.
He requested questions be sent to him over email but by early evening, he had not yet responded.
