Dolly Mokgatle, the CEO of Spoornet, has resigned, parent Transnet said on Tuesday.
Transnet has accepted her resignation with immediate effect. No reasons were given for Mokgatle’s resignation.
Tami Didiza, head of Transnet group communications, declined to comment further, saying only that Mokgatle will be “pursuing other interests”.
“We acknowledge the contribution that Ms Mokgatle has made to Spoornet and wish her well in her future endeavours,” the statement said.
Siyabonga Gama, CEO of the National Ports Authority, will act as Spoornet CEO while consideration is being given on the appointment of a suitable replacement.
Khomotso Phihlela, Transnet group executive: portfolio management, will in turn act as CEO of the National Ports Authority.
Transnet said in a statement that it recognises the key role that Spoornet plays in the South African economy, and its focus is on ensuring that it succeeds in providing an efficient and cost-effective service to its clients.
“To this end, the initiatives which are currently under way to effect a sustainable turnaround in this division will be given added impetus. We acknowledge that the challenges we face in turning Transnet, and in particular Spoornet, around are significant.
“However, our commitment to succeed is unshakeable,” it said.
In December last year, the Mail & Guardian reported that a series of blunders by state-owned rail company Spoornet had brought the $5-billion (R30-billion) revamp of Zambia’s railway infrastructure to a standstill.
The fiasco, which had resulted in the suspension of senior Spoornet executives and the institution of a forensic audit, also raised questions about Spoornet’s capacity to assist the continent to revive its railways, many of which have ground to a halt.
It was understood that Spoornet had done no significant work on the project since it began the previous December. Sources said this had led to the further deterioration of the Zambian rail network, significantly raising the cost of the revamp.
The M&G had learned that the suspensions of two top Spoornet executives, Ravi Nair and Harry Mashele, related to the management of the Zambian concession.
Nair and Mashele had been appointed by Mokgatle last year to spearhead her five-year turnaround strategy.
Before being appointed as Spoornet CEO in 2003, Mokgatle was for six years an executive director of Eskom’s transmission division.
When she started at Spoornet, her task was seen as one of the most challenging in the Transnet stable, after the profitable division was thrown into a state of confusion following the unceremonious departure of highly regarded Zandile Jakavula.
“Spoornet will be different [to Eskom] in the sense that I will be starting as an outsider,” Mokgatle said at the time, according to a Moneyweb article. “Eskom was a totally different environment given my human rights background. But it was time to move on … Some of my colleagues even called me a sell-out.”
Mokgatle holds a BProc and LLB degrees from the University of the North and the University of the Witwatersrand respectively. She also completed a diploma in tax law. Before she moved to Eskom, she worked as a human rights lawyer, and established the litigation department of the Black Lawyers’ Association.