Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) CEO, Pepi Silinga said on Sunday that he will take a leave of absence, as he faces new enquiries of fraud and maladministration at the State rail and port operator.
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union last week called for Silinga to be fired from office, alleging he was likely to interfere with investigations into his alleged irregular picking of close associates for a lucrative port fencing upgrade tender.
The tender’s value has controversially ballooned from R80 million to R300 million.
Transnet has appointed an independent law firm to investigate the allegations.
Specifically, Silinga is accused of appointing his former employer, the Coega Development Corporation, to put up fences around the ports of Durban, Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay.
WHO IS PEPI SILINGA?
If these allegations are true, it would be a devastating end to an illustrious career.
According to the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), Silinga’s career spans more than 30 years.
He is known as PS and is an engineer by trade. His career started in 1998, and his first major leadership role was when he was head-hunted to be the CEO of the Eastern Cape Presidential Project team in South Africa.
His next move was to be appointed CEO of the Coega Development Corporation (CDC).
PMAESA noted that he had been at this institution for more than 20 years.
Silinga has been on several boards in South Africa, including the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Brand SA, the Independent Development Trust (IDT), and the University of Fort Hare.
He served as a board member at the CSIR from January 2009 to December 2011. It should be noted that he is no longer a board member of the CSIR.
Notably, in 2017, Silinga was asked by the Gauteng Government to implement a R19 billion Special Economic Zone in Tshwane.
In 2020, Silinga was named as Chief Executive TNPA and in October 2023, Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan appointed him as an Executive Director on the board of TNPA.
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