The PRASA corruption documented in Batch 2 (the Swifambo locomotive deal and Siyangena security contracts) was only the visible tip of a much larger iceberg. Investigation and reporting between 2023 and 2026 revealed the full scale of looting during Lucky Montana's CEO tenure (2008-2015).
THE R4.5 BILLION IN DODGY CONTRACTS: In November 2025, Daily Maverick published an investigation linking Montana directly to R4.5 billion in PRASA contracts involving alleged kickbacks. The investigation traced financial flows between PRASA contractors and entities connected to Montana. The pattern was consistent: contracts awarded to connected companies, work performed poorly or not at all, and financial benefits flowing back to those who had the power to award the contracts.
THE R2.6 BILLION GHOST PAYMENTS: Sunday World reported in November 2025 that three senior PRASA officials face a Hawks criminal investigation for paying R2.6 billion to two sister companies with no contract and no work done. The sheer scale of this single finding — R2.6 billion paid for nothing — illustrates the complete collapse of financial controls under Montana's leadership.
THE GHOST EMPLOYEES: SIU investigations revealed 1,277 ghost employees receiving approximately R20 million per month from PRASA. These were fictional people on the payroll, with salaries diverted to real individuals. The estimated total loss through the ghost employee scheme is estimated at $540 million (R10 billion+). This was not a one-off — it was a systematic, years-long extraction mechanism.
MONTANA'S PERSONAL TAX AFFAIRS: In October 2025, SARS revealed it had audited Montana's tax affairs for the 2009-2019 period. Montana had under-declared his income. His total tax debt — including interest and penalties — grew to R55.1 million. Montana offered a settlement of R5.4 million — less than 10% of his liability. The gap between Montana's declared income and his SARS-assessed income raises obvious questions about the source of his undeclared wealth during his PRASA tenure.
MTIMKULU'S CONVICTION: Daniel Mtimkulu, who served as PRASA's Head of Engineering under Montana, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment for fraud related to falsified qualifications. Mtimkulu had earned R15 million+ while claiming to hold a PhD in engineering he never obtained. He oversaw billions in infrastructure contracts while unqualified.
MONTANA'S POLITICAL CAREER: After leaving PRASA in 2015, Montana reinvented himself politically. He was elected as an MK Party MP in the 2024 elections. However, following the Daily Maverick exposés in October-November 2025, he resigned from Parliament in December 2025. Despite the scale of evidence against him, Montana has not been criminally charged for PRASA corruption as of March 2026.