FRIDAY, 12.00NOON
TRANSNET MD Sakkie Macozoma on Thursday delivered a tongue-lashing to Transport Minister Mac Maharaj, saying the minister’s recent statements on privatisation of the transport parastatal and its subsidiaries were reckless and could scupper the whole restructuring process.
Maharaj this week made statements about the proposed sell-off equity stakes in Transnet loss-makers SA Airways and parcel express service PX, issues still under negotiation with management and labour. According to Macozoma: “Statements that disregard and undermine the process will only have the effect of introducing unnecessary tensions. I have no option, therefore, but to dissociate myself from … Maharaj’s recent statements.”
Macozoma said Maharaj knows government and Transnet have set up processes to develop and improve a restructuring master plan for the parastatal, and views and suggestions on the way forward should be routed through these processes and not in the media.
Macozoma added that his public slating of Maharaj follows numerous unsuccessful attempts to deal with the issues directly. “[Maharaj’s] statements are made when the responsible minister [Public Enterprises Minister Stella Sigcau] and the deputy president [Thabo Mbeki] are out of the country. They are made in complete disregard to myself as Transnet MD or eny other executive or non-executive management.”