Networking and corrupt activities have led to the downfall of a former top official at South Africa’s state-owned passenger railway company.
Daniel Mtimkulu, 49, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for faking his engineering qualifications and committing fraud.
Mtimkulu, who resigned as head of engineering at PRASA in 2015, was convicted of three counts of fraud and forgery in 2022.
He falsely claimed to have a master’s degree and doctorate, and even forged a job offer to secure a significant salary increase.
His corrupt activities extended to a $100 million deal for new train locomotives that were too tall for South Africa’s rail network.
A special unit investigating high-level corruption estimates that over $7 billion may have been lost to graft at state-owned companies, including PRASA.
Mtimkulu has been ordered to pay back $323,000 to PRASA, deemed proceeds of crime. His sentencing serves as a warning against corruption and fraud in South Africa’s state-owned businesses.
