This brings the total number of PRASA Peace Officers to 686. The officers will be responsible for safeguarding rail infrastructure, ensuring the safety of commuters, and protecting the integrity of the rail network.

The officers were sworn in in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act: SECTION 334, granting them similar arresting powers to those of the South African Police Service (SAPS) when performing their duties, including the power to effect arrests without a warrant.

This empowers them to more effectively prevent and respond to incidents of theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure, as well as enhance crime prevention efforts at stations.

The milestone marks the successful completion of the Protection Services internal training programme conducted between May and September 2025. It represents a major step forward in bolstering the fight against the theft and vandalism of rail infrastructure, while enhancing commuter safety across PRASA’s network.

The training equipped officers with essential law enforcement knowledge and practical skills in crime prevention, incident response, documenting incidents, and maintaining law and order. All trainees were declared competent before being conferred Peace Officer status.

“For PRASA, the conferment of Peace Officer status marks another milestone in our ongoing turnaround journey, which has seen a 93% achievement of our performance targets, the recovery of 35 of 40 rail lines, and a significant reduction in theft and vandalism incidents.

“With these enhanced powers, PRASA’s Protection Services can now place greater focus on safeguarding rail infrastructure, ensuring the safety of commuters, and protecting the integrity of the rail network,” PRASA Acting Group Corporate Security, Alexio Papadopulo, said on Wednesday.

During the ceremony in Esselen Park, Johannesburg, the officers took an oath and were officially granted expanded powers to perform their duties as Peace Officers.

Under the Criminal Procedure Act, these powers include the ability to:

Arrest individuals without a warrant;
Issue written notices and summonses in terms of Section 56;
Execute warrants of arrest, and
Detain suspects and use minimum force where necessary.

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The criminal case, which has been before the Gqeberha Commercial Crimes Court for more than six years, was due to continue on Wednesday after at last getting underway in March.

The trial was also waylaid by Mohiudeen seeking a high court review of magistrate Nolitha Bara’s decision against an application that he be supplied with further particulars of the charges against him. The review application was filed in February 2023. In December last year, the high court ruled against him. In that application, he was accused of trying to use Stalingrad tactics to delay proceedings.

The state’s first witness Adrian Samuels, general manager of Durban-based company Akisisa, which uplifted the rails, was due to continue on the stand in June to be cross examined by Swartz and Mohiudeen’s lawyers after giving evidence in March. However, illness prevented the trial proceeding in June. New dates for this week – 30 July to 1 August – were given.

In the meantime, Mohiudeen had changed lawyers for the fifth time in his criminal case, returning to attorney Nasser Ally, whom he had previously ditched.

No hearing took place on Wednesday as Samuels had missed his flight to Gqeberha, according to state prosecutor Gerrit van der Merwe.

On Thursday morning, proceedings were delayed until 11am as Mohiudeen’s new advocate, Cheryl Sjoberg, was still flying in from Johannesburg. At 11am, the court heard Sjoberg’s flight was delayed, and court was adjourned until 2pm.

When court reconvened before magistrate Thabisa Mpimpilashe in the afternoon, Sjoberg asked for a postponement as she had been instructed “probably a week ago”. She said she had not received the charge sheet and other crucial documents she needed to prepare.

This was despite Van der Merwe saying he had been told three weeks ago that Mohiudeen had changed lawyers and reappointed Ally, who had then contacted him to ask for the exhibits.

“I went through them with him,” said Van der Merwe, adding that Ally had undertaken to be ready for the continuation of the trial.

“I was not informed they would be seeking a remand,” he said. “I was still under the impression we would be proceeding.”

He argued the trial should not be postponed further as there had been lengthy delays since 2019, mostly due to Mohiudeen having switched lawyers several times.

He pointed out that the court had already warned Mohiudeen twice that if his lawyers weren’t prepared because he had changed counsel, he would be forced to proceed without them, in line with Section 342A of the Criminal Procedures Act dealing with unreasonable delays.

Swartz’s advocate Mzwamadoda Mnyani did not agree to a further postponement as he said he was ready to proceed. Mnyani said the continuous delays had led him to previously apply for a separation of trials, which had been denied, and he reserved his rights to make another application.

Magistrate Mpimpilashe agreed there had been a history of delays “attributed to accused number one [Mohiudeen]”, and that one of the Section 342A warnings had been given by her.

She noted the state prosecutor had been “misled” that the case would be able to proceed and the state had spent money on airfare and accommodation for two witnesses. Samuels had also flown back to South Africa from Dubai to take the stand for cross examination.

But Mpimpilashe granted the postponement until 8 December while handing down another warning that if Mohiudeen’s lawyers weren’t ready, the trial would nonetheless proceed.

This article was originally published in GroundUp, the original piece can be found here.

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The recent developments by the Hawks are part of an ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities within the organisation.

Mr Badenhorst said the allegations are concerning as the individuals implicated are top senior executives. “This highlights a need for transparency and accountability within PRASA. The committee will monitor the developments at PRASA as it is important for the investigation to come to expose the alleged corruption within the entity,” added Mr Badenhorst.

In a committee engagement on 9 July, Mr Badenhorst drew attention to the company that had recently been awarded the signalling contract, which was also reportedly responsible for the demolition of Parliament. The committee expressed its concern about the company’s repeated involvement in large-scale projects.

Mr Badenhorst called on the Minister of Transport to report back to the committee once investigations into the matter were complete as the outcome was crucial to resolving one of the key obstacles hindering PRASA’s progress on signalling.

“The committee will continue to provide oversight to ensure responsibility, so that public funds are used correctly because the country faces challenges within the fiscus,” said Mr Badenhorst.

The media reported executives, and the Board awarded an R18 billion train signalling equipment contract to companies without following and meeting mandatory requirements.

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In papers filed at the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on 9 May, Open Secrets singled out PRASA contracts with Siyangena Technologies and with Swifambo Rail Leasing, involving billions of rands. Complaints against these companies were first filed in 2015.

Open Secrets asks the Court to direct the police’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks) to complete their investigations into PRASA, and to direct the NPA to either prosecute the cases or not.

In the founding affidavit, Open Secrets director Hennie van Vuuren says: “The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) reviewed the decisions to award these contracts to Siyangena and Swifambo, respectively, and set aside both contracts as irregular, tainted by corruption.”

Van Vuuren says it has been more than nine years since criminal complaints related to these contracts were filed, yet no one has been held accountable, contrary to the recommendations of the Zondo Commission.

He says the NPA claims it is waiting for the Hawks’ investigations, while the Hawks say they need guidance from the NPA. “This buck-passing has birthed an apparent paralysis that flouts the rule of law,” he argues.

In the Zondo Commission’s final report on PRASA, released in 2022, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo stated: “It is quite worrying that many years after complaints were laid with the Hawks, nobody has been charged.”

Zondo said he believed there was more to be uncovered at PRASA and recommended a special commission of inquiry to examine why PRASA was “allowed to slide into almost total ruin”, who benefitted from this, and who should be held responsible.

One of the people alleged to have benefitted was Lucky Montana, PRASA Group CEO from 2010 to 2015.

Van Vuuren points out that both Montana and former PRASA board chair Sfiso Buthelezi, who was also fingered in the Zondo Commission, represent the Mkhonto weSizwe (MK) party as Members of Parliament.

GroundUp has reported that MK MPs have pushed back against investigations into PRASA.

The respondents — the Hawks, the NPA, and PRASA — have been given 15 days to file opposing papers.

Open Secrets, represented by law firm Power and Associates, wants the costs of the application to be borne by the Hawks and the NPA.

This article was republished, with permission, from GroundUp, the original article can be found here.

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Addressing the Smart Mobility Africa Summit in Johannesburg, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said in order to make sure that no further theft or vandalism occurs on their lines, PRASA has employed a variety of digital solutions to protect its infrastructure as well as its passengers.

“PRASA and Huawei have partnered to employ an intelligent e-guarding perimeter system which uses artificial intelligence to alert a central control centre when there are security breaches or incidents occurring within the system.

“This includes a seismic activity tracker which monitors any digging that occurs within the perimeter of rail depots. This means that any attempts at cable theft or similar infrastructure damage is dealt with proactively rather than reactively,” the Minister said.

Thirty-one of PRASA’s 40 priority lines have re-entered into service after a period of theft and vandalism, with re-signalling of these lines an ongoing project.

“The re-signalling of these lines is a critical undertaking as it ensures the location, the availability and reliability of train services,” Creecy said.

“The use of new technologies in our economy cannot only be limited to mass infrastructure projects and macroeconomic policy. Smart systems need to be used in terms of service delivery to improve the lives of our citizens.

“This can be done in a variety of ways, whether in terms of e-permitting and licensing for transport operators, fully digitising driver’s license testing and vehicle registration, automating and digitising truck weighbridges, and using real-time monitoring of our roads network to avoid congestion and road accidents.

“New technologies can also be used to enhance the security of our communities through CCTV surveillance of our public areas and the use of drone technology to effectively monitor our borders, ensuring the safety of travellers and stopping cross-border illicit trade,” said Creecy.

Smart technology can also be used for integrated transport and logistics planning.

“Transnet has embraced smart systems through a number of measures and aims to harness this technology to further streamline logistics processes.

“Last year, the entity relaunched its integrated Port Management System (IPMS) as part of its digital transformation strategy. The IPMS is a digital vessel management system which allows real-time access to operational information in order to help manage and track freight within the Transnet system. IPMS users are able to make online service requests and see booking slots, in order to avoid over-booking,” the Minister said.

She emphasised the importance of taking advantage of the new technologies and processes available in order to maximise opportunities for economic growth and adequately meet government’s priorities.

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The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning, prompting immediate response from PRASA Protection Services.

“[The] City of Johannesburg Emergency Management Services was dispatched to the scene, but despite their efforts, the fire persisted, necessitating swift action from PRASA Rail. Train crew members at home were promptly activated to move the locomotives and coaches to a safe location to prevent exposure to the fire.

“While the exact cause of the fire has not been confirmed, preliminary reports suggest that the fire may have originated from an underground tunnel housing cables belonging to City Power. The City Emergency Management Services have confirmed that the fire is now under control, with firefighting operations ongoing,” PRASA said.

No major damage has been reported on the coaches and locomotives, except minimal damage to the paint of a few locomotives and coaches due to heat exposure.

We will continue assessing the entire fleet that was relocated.

“At PRASA Rail, we acknowledge the seriousness of this incident, and we are taking every possible measure to ensure the ongoing safety and protection of our personnel and assets.

“We will continue to collaborate closely with the City’s Emergency Management Service throughout this process. Our team is actively monitoring the situation, and we will provide further updates as necessary,” the agency said.

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