Cape Town Mayor Calls For Suspensions After Claims Ralph Stanfield-Linked Firms Scored R600m Rail Contracts

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has urged the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa to immediately suspend officials implicated in a controversial security contract saga linked to alleged gang boss Ralph Stanfield.

The call follows an investigation by amaBhungane which claims companies associated with Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson, secured security subcontracting work on Prasa’s multibillion-rand Central Line reconstruction project in Cape Town.

According to the report, the primary company involved, Mzansi Securifire, allegedly received around R600 million in contracts linked to the project between 2022 and 2024.

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Hill-Lewis said the allegations require urgent intervention and accountability.

“I am calling on Prasa to suspend the implicated officials pending a full investigation, establish the total amount of contract funding that flowed to gang-linked companies, and pursue the blacklisting of those companies where applicable,” he said.

“The state must shut down all potential avenues of funding to gangsterism and root out corrupt officials working with the underworld.”

Security crisis on Central Line allegedly opened door for Stanfield-linked firms

The investigation suggests that companies connected to Stanfield benefited from ongoing security disruptions that plagued the reconstruction of the Central Line.

Violence and intimidation reportedly disrupted work along the route, creating pressure for additional security measures. The report alleges that businesses tied to Stanfield then stepped in to provide those services.

The reconstruction of the line forms part of Prasa’s large-scale effort to restore rail operations in Cape Town after years of vandalism and infrastructure damage.

AmaBhungane’s findings suggest that the security situation on the project created an environment in which these companies were positioned to benefit financially.

Questions raised over police involvement in controversial meeting

The investigation also raises concerns about the role of a serving police officer in discussions about the project’s security arrangements.

According to the report, on 6 September 2022 the acting station commissioner at Bishop Lavis police station allegedly emailed crime intelligence officers, Prasa executives and a contractor working on the project to arrange a meeting at Manenberg police station the following day.

At that meeting, the contractor was reportedly introduced to representatives from two Stanfield-linked security SMMEs — GParm Protection Services and PPE Security and Projects — along with Yibaninati (Pty) Ltd, a company founded by Johnson.

The suggestion, according to the report, was that these companies could resolve the security issues affecting the rail reconstruction work.

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Hill-Lewis said the matter demands deeper scrutiny. “The implications of gang infiltration into SAPS are simply too serious to ignore,” he said.

He added that the SAPS provincial commissioner should investigate the meeting held in Manenberg.

“There were several people reportedly present, including Prasa officials and the contractor, who can account for the true events of that day.”

Cape Town Mayor Calls On Prasa CEO

AmaBhungane further reported that the contractors initially resisted the proposed security arrangement and were hesitant to work with the identified companies.

Despite their reluctance, Prasa’s security leadership allegedly continued pushing for the involvement of the Stanfield-linked firms.

The dispute escalated on 20 September 2022 when Prasa’s Western Cape lead programme manager reportedly wrote to contractors confirming that their concerns had been escalated to Prasa chief executive Hisham Emeran.

According to the report, Emeran asked contractors to formally outline their “reservations around the onboarding of the identified SMMEs and the facilitators”.

Hill-Lewis said the Prasa chief executive should address the claims.

“Mr Emeran should explain these comments, and whether he knew of these gang links or not,” he said.