The High Court in Pretoria has set aside the decision by former Transport Minister Dipuo Peters to dissolve the board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
Prasa chairman Popo Molefe had approached the court to have him and the rest of the board reinstated.
They wanted the minister’s decision to remove them declared unlawful‚ to be reinstated and for any appointment of an interim or new board to be declared unlawful.
In his judgment on Monday‚ Judge Peter Mabuse ordered that the board be reinstated and the interim board be dissolved with immediate effect.
The board was dissolved following the removal of controversial acting CEO Collins Letsoalo‚who was axed in February after reports revealed he had given himself a 350% salary increase.
Molefe claimed he had not been informed of the board’s dissolution by Peters‚ and had heard of it through media reports.
In his affidavit‚ Molefe said the board’s removal was an abuse of public power and there was no legal basis for it.