This follows a statement released on Thursday, 2 March, by Prasa board chairperson Dr Popo Molefe indicating that Prasa's Board of Control received a letter from the Group CEO on 15 March informing the organisation of his decision to step down at the end of his contract when it expires on 31 March 2016.
Molefe said after consultation with the Minister of Transport, Dipuo Peters, the Board has accepted Montana's decision.
"Montana leaves the organisation during its drive to modernise the rail fleet, infrastructure and operations, which is a vital component of our stated ambition of rolling out the train system of the future.
"Prasa could not have wished for a better candidate to lead this organisation than Montana. His determination and drive to ensure that Prasa becomes a modern public entity committed to delivering public value, whilst ensuring high quality passenger service, shall always be highly appreciated by this Board," said Molefe.
He said the Board will immediately start the process of finding a suitable candidate.
Prior to his appointment as Group Chief Executive Officer of Prasa in October 2010, Montana was appointed to the Board of the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) by Cabinet in 2005 and served on various Board Committees and later became its CEO.
Montana has a wealth of experience in the transport sector, which dates back to 1999 when he was part of a team that put together a strategy for the restructuring of Transnet, known then as the "Transnet End-State".
He served on the Steering Committee looking at the restructuring of Spoornet - a division of Transnet, and was also appointed the Co-Chair of the Ports Restructuring Committee (PRC), mandated to explore restructuring options for the Durban Container Terminal and the Ports Sector as a whole, which reported directly to the Ministers of Transport and Public Enterprises.
Montana served as the coordinator of the National Framework Agreement (NFA) from 1999 to 2004, which oversaw the restructuring of State assets, ranging from Energy, Ports, Telecommunications, Aviation, and Transport.
He leaves Prasa as a solid organisation which has come to be respected as a leader in public transport solutions. The Board has thanked him for his invaluable contribution.
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