The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has been paying salaries to over 1,200 non-existent employees, commonly referred to as “ghost workers.”
This shocking discovery was made by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which was authorized to investigate under Proclamation 153 of 2024.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time PRASA has dealt with ghost workers.
A previous investigation in 2021, led by then-Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, resulted in 1,159 fake employees being removed from the payroll through Operation Ziveze.
However, it seems that operation wasn’t thorough enough, as more ghost workers were discovered, prompting a second investigation.
According to SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago, the ghost workers are believed to be individuals who passed away but were never removed from the payroll.
In some cases, their banking details were even replaced with new information, allowing the fraudulent activities to continue.
This issue has sparked outrage among South Africans on Facebook, with many demanding to know what actions will be taken against those responsible.
Some have also expressed concerns that other government departments may be dealing with similar ghost worker problems.
