Former Prasa CEO Lucky Montana explains why he resigned as an MK Party MP
Former Passenger Rail Agency group CEO Lucky Montana has announced his resignation as a Member of Parliament for the MK Party.
Image: File
Lucky Montana, the former CEO of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) has shed some light on why he resigned as a Member of Parliament for the Umkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP).
Montana announced on his X account on Monday that he had informed the party's parliamentary leadership earlier this year of his intention to vacate his seat.
Montana stated that he wrote to the now-suspended MKP deputy, Dr John Hlophe, and the party Chief Whip, Colleen Makhubela, confirming his resignation.
“Today my resignation takes effect,” he wrote.
In a follow-up post on X, Montana shared the letter that he sent to the party's leadership and confirmed that he had not resigned from the party but only as an MP.
In the letter, Montana states that his resignation is due to personal reasons without elaborating further.
“This serves to inform you of my intention to step down as a Member of Parliament a t the end of the 4th Term of Parliament. This is for personal reasons. I had previously raised my intention to s with the Chief Whip, Honourable Colleen Makhubela. Whilst I resign from Parliament, I remain a disciplined and dedicated member of the Umkhonto We Sizwe Party.”
He also thanked party leader and former president Jacob Zuma for the opportunity to serve in the part in Parliament.
“I am inspired by the extraordinary revolutionary President Zuma continues to lead. President Zuma is not only a giant of our liberation struggle, a true son of Africa and internationalist but a champion of the rural and urban poor. Msholozi remains an inspiration the younger generations, to millions in our country, the African Continent and the world.”
Montana's resignation was confirmed in a statement by MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela saying the party has accepted it.
The resignation comes after Zuma's daughter Duduzile Zuma Sambudla announced last week that she is resigning as a MP for the party. Her resignation came after she was linked to the alleged trafficking of South Africans to Russia to fight on behalf of that country in the Ukraine conflict.
Ndhlela said: “Montana has served the MK Party with steadfast objectivity, constructive guidance and principled contributions that have strengthened our caucus and sharpened our collective political effectiveness...
“Although his departure from Parliament has been accepted, the MK Party takes comfort in knowing that he remains part of the continued struggle for the total emancipation of the black child,” read the statement.
Meanwhile it has been recently reported that Montana is locked in a bitter dispute with the SA Revenue Service (SARS) over an alleged R55 million tax liability.
He has previously told the media that he rejects SARS' assessments claiming he only owes R8 million in unpaid taxes, a small portion of what SARS says he owes.
SARS has in turn detailed Montana’s alleged non-compliance, including multiple years where they said he failed to submit tax returns or required documentation despite numerous extensions.
The tax authority defended its R55 million claim as “lawful and based on audit findings”.