Speaker, hiermee gee die VF Plus kennis dat die grootste regseis in die geskiedenis van Suid-Afrika tot die bedrag van R90 miljard binnekort ingestel gaan word teen Transnet, die Departement van Openbare Ondernemings en die Tesourie, in die vorm van 'n klasaksie namens die duisende verarmde pensioenarisse van die Transnet Tweede Vastevoordeelfonds en die Transport Pensioenfonds.
Hierdie eis spruit voort uit die nie-nakoming en minagting van die parlementre opdrag deur die uitvoerende gesag en Transnet om die R1,9 miljard aan die fondse uit te betaal. Die latere diepgaande ondersoek na die finansile status van die fondse het aangetoon dat 'n statutre skuld nooit deur die regering aan die fondse oorbetaal is nie, dat Transnet wederregtelik wins vir homself geneem het uit die verkoop van die V&A Waterfront en dat bates in die vorm van die T011-effekte uit die fonds gehaal is en dieselfde waarde nooit teruggeplaas is nie.
Die gevolg is dat in plaas daarvan om bloot R1,9 miljard te betaal soos deur die Parlement voorgestel, sal die staat en Transnet nou aanspreeklik wees vir R90 miljard se skuld en vergoeding aan die verwese pensionarisse. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Adv A D ALBERTS (FF Plus): Speaker, the FF Plus wishes to inform the House that the biggest legal claim in the history of South Africa, to the value of R90 billion, will soon be instituted against Transnet, the Department of Public Enterprises, and Treasury in the form of a class action on behalf of thousands of impoverished pensioners of the Transnet Second Defined Benefit Fund and the Transport Pension Fund.
This claim is arising from the executive authority and Transnet's noncompliance with and contempt of a parliamentary instruction to pay out the R1,9 billion to the funds. Subsequently, an in-depth investigation into the financial status of the funds indicated that government never paid a statutory debt to the funds, that Transnet unlawfully made a profit from the sale of the V&A Waterfront, and that assets in the form of T011 stocks were taken from the fund and never replaced.
The result is that instead of simply paying the R1,9 billion, as recommended by Parliament, the state and Transnet are now liable for R90 billion worth of debt and compensation to the despondent pensioners.]
There lies a great lesson, in all of this. If Transnet and/or Treasury had abided with paying the recommended R1,9 billion, we would not have embarked on a forensic investigation of the funds and would not have discovered the far greater claims for the pensioners.
There is also a further lesson in this. If you commit yourself to perform your responsibility diligently and fairly, damages cannot accrue, but if you kick the can down the road, a greater problem will meet and challenge you. This is what we call being penny wise and pound foolish.