Cape Town mayor demands answers from PRASA over alleged gang linked Central Line contracts

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is urging the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to respond to allegations that a gang boss was connected to the reconstruction of Cape Town’s Central Line.

An investigation by the AmaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism suggests companies linked to alleged kingpin Ralph Stanfield may have benefited from multi-billion rand security contracts connected to the rail recovery project.

According to the investigation, Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson, allegedly worked with Alexio Papadopulo, the acting head of security at the PRASA, to help companies they had links to obtain security work on the multibillion rand rail reconstruction project.

Hill Lewis says all officials or contractors fingered in the investigation must face accountability.

"We've made such progress in trying to shut down all avenues to catch that particular mafia boss and his network, and it's sad to see they've found another cash cow."

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Speaking on CapeTalk, journalist Sam Sole said the evidence points to what appears to be a classic organised crime tactic.

"It's a classic protection racket that we've seen in the construction industry; it's a classic mafia racket. You produce violence and then say, 'You've got to cut us in', or, 'You've got to pay'," he said.

Hill Lewis says the MO is a familiar one.

"This is the same modus operandi that we found in the infiltration of our own supply chain two and a half years ago, and we went to great lengths to try and root it out... We saw the same thing in the capture of the King Air Industrial Park at the airport; again, we went to great lengths to shut that down."

The Central Line, which once served thousands of commuters, has been out of operation since 2019 due to vandalism, with trains currently only running from Cape Town to Chris Hani.

The Mayor is calling for precautionary suspensions of any implicated officials, and the blacklisting of any entities proven to have gang links.

He says PRASA must at least conduct a 'full and thorough' investigation into the allegations.

CapeTalk approached Prasa for comment, but did not receive a reply.

To listen to Hill Lewis in conversation with Cape Talk's John Maytham, use the audio player below: