The United National Transport Union (UNTU) demands an
urgent virtual meeting with Dr Popo Molefe, Chairman of the
Transnet Board, after Transnet Group Executive, Portia Derby,
appointed yet another four outsiders to the Executive
Committee of Transnet.
To date Derby appointed seven outsiders from various stateowned
enterprises to Transnet Executive Committee, the core
of the management structure.
Steve Harris, General Secretary of UNTU, says this was done without providing reasons as
to why the employees with decades of experience who have been appointed in these
positions or have been acting in the positions, where swept aside.
“None of these new appointments, irrespective of how impressive their credentials might be,
have any experience in the Transnet environment. If this state-owned enterprise (SOE)
which operates the heart of the South African economy, follow the same pattern as other
SOE’s like South African Airways, SA Express, Denel, SABC and Eskom, it will be all the
workers in South Africa who will have to bear the brunt.
“We warned Derby after her appointment not to make the same mistakes two of her former
predecessors, Maria Ramos and Brian Molefe, made. Both did not manage to complete their
irrespective appointment terms at Transnet,” says Harris.
Derby’s appointments were approved by the Transnet Board.
Molefe informed UNTU during its previous quarterly meeting about the vast extend of the
state capture in Transnet. According to Molefe it would take “years” to root out all the alleged
corrupt officials in Transnet starting from the lowest levels right up to the highest positions.
He was in support of bringing “new blood” into the SOE.
“UNTU has supported Derby and the Board in all their efforts do date. But Transnet has no
need to reinvent a wheel. Transnet drastically needs expertise in its unique environment to
fast-track projects that has been long overdue because the money allocated to it was looted
by Gupta-linked companies,” says Harris.
Derby announced that her latest four appointees have demonstrated strong leadership
capabilities and innovative thinking that is required to help steer Transnet’s business
operations, as it positions itself as a world-class freight and logistics company.
The appointments to date are:
• Ralph Mills as Chief Executive of Transnet Engineering who comes from a global
defence and aerospace innovation international manufacturing business.
• Adv Sandra Coetzee as Chief Legal Officer after she spend several years at the
Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office of the Development Bank of Southern
Africa.
• Yolisa Kani as Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) after a career as the
Head of Public Policy in Southern Africa at Uber Technologies.
• Pertunia Mohlabi as the Company Secretary after working as an independent
consultant and serving a decade as Rand Water’s Group Company Secretary.
• Siza Mzimela as Chief Executive of Transnet Freight who resigned as interim Chief
Executive Officer of SA Express days before her appointment. SA Express was
placed under provisional liquidation in the Gauteng North High Court this week.
• Vuledzani Nemukula as the Chief Procurement Officer, after spending several years
as CEO of global trading and logistics management company Ore port. He also held
positions at Telkom and Eskom.
• Pandelani Munyai as its Chief Information Officer after serving as a Technology,
Business Strategy and Innovation Executive at Liquid Telecom.
According to Harris UNTU will not allow yet another Chief Group Executive to gamble with
the jobs of employees like Brain Molefe and Siyabonga Gama allegedly did.
Untu Greetings.
S Carstens
Obo
SA HARRIS
GENERAL SECRETARY
