Four Businessmen to Face Court Charges After Transnet Disburses Over R76 Million for ‘Non-Existent’ Locomotive Plant
Johannesburg – The prominent case involving four businessmen accused of artificially inflating the expenses associated with relocating the manufacturing base for electric and diesel locomotives from Pretoria to Durban has been postponed until next year by the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court.
The businessmen, Allan Wayne Tichauer, Sudesh Premchand Rocharam, Yaasien Mahomed, and Rafael Bricker, appeared in court on Friday, 13 December 2024, facing allegations of money laundering involving R76 million.
All four men and their respective companies are being prosecuted under The Prevention Of Organised Crime Act.
The accused, Tichauer, Rocharam, Mahomed, and Bricker, were granted bail set at R50,000 each, subject to strict conditions, including the surrender of their passports to the investigating officer and weekly reporting to their nearby police station.
The case has been rescheduled for 28 January 2025.
Henry Mamothame, spokesperson for the Investigating Directorate Against Corruption, explained that the case stems from alleged discrepancies discovered regarding the costs to relocate the locomotive assembly point from Pretoria to Durban.
After Transnet awarded a contract for the manufacture of 1,064 electric and diesel locomotives, the accused allegedly misrepresented the costs associated with the relocation, exceeding R76 million.
“It was further revealed that none of the companies had established a manufacturing facility in Pretoria before the decision was made to move the plant in 2015,” stated Mamothame.
“Following the payment from Transnet to CNR, the company contracted for the move, it is alleged that the laundered funds were funneled through various companies owned by the other accused.”