The Swifambo deal for 70 locomotives led to billions of rands in losses for Prasa and accelerated the decline of passenger rail services in South Africa.
In 2012, a deal was struck that contributed to the near collapse of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa . The Swifambo deal for 70 locomotives led to billions of rands in losses for Prasa and accelerated the decline of passenger rail services in South Africa. Swifambo went into voluntary liquidation in 2018. The trains are now being auctioned by Swifambo’s liquidators, Tshwane Trust, to recover amounts owed to Prasa.
As Open Secrets reported in 2021, Sacks found that Vossloh had paid the startup costs of Swifambo in 2011 and 2012 — more than a year before Swifambo scored the Prasa contract and partnered with Vossloh España. And Mabunda’s companies continued to receive money from Vossloh three years after the startup costs were paid.