No material information has been released to date on Transnet progress in appointing a successor to former CEO Maria Ramos, who left last year after her contract ended. According to continuing press speculation, the board is divided over retaining acting CEO Chris Wells or appointing Transnet Freight Rail CEO Siyabonga Gama. It is said that Wells was the preferred choice originally, but withdrew his candidature. Subsequently it seems he again made himself available. Transnet spokesman John Dludlu declines to comment on the matter, or on allegations of certain management irregularities said to have surfaced following an internal audit.

Buddy Naidu of the Sunday Times quoted Dludlu saying:  “All allegations relating to the disclosure of confidential company information… are investigated in order to determine whether or not they are breaches of the Transnet code of ethics and employment contracts.” A “concerned” Wells, Naidu wrote, had issued a warning to employees in a two-page letter reminding them of the company’s code of conduct. He wrote: “Any contravention of the code and the employment contract is regarded as a serious matter which may result in disciplinary action being taken, including termination of employment.”

The paper continued: “Ernst & Young’s Viv Oates, who heads Transnet’s internal audit unit, said in a statement that the report was an internal one and ‘should not be circulated or used for any other purpose’”. The Sunday Times additionally reported that “members of Transnet’s board and its operating division’s sub-audit committee will be forced to take lie detector tests in an attempt to find out who leaked a damaging internal audit report [to the press] recently. Transnet’s telephone and communications records are also being examined to find out who leaked the audit report that exposed financial mismanagement and lack of control mechanisms at the parastatal.”

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