Former PRASA chief executive Lucky Montana has resigned as a Member of Parliament for the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, becoming the latest high-profile figure to leave the party’s national caucus.
His exit comes days after fellow MK MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla stepped down from Parliament.
Montana confirmed on Monday that he had formally notified the MK parliamentary leadership earlier this year of his intention to vacate his seat, writing to then-deputy party leader Dr John Hlophe and chief whip Colleen Makhubele on 30 August 2025.
“Today my resignation takes effect,” he told followers in a post on X.
What Lucky Montana and the MK Party are saying
Montana’s X post did not spell out detailed reasons for leaving, beyond confirming that he would no longer serve in the National Assembly.
In a statement, MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the party had accepted his decision, praising Montana for “steadfast objectivity” and “principled contributions that have strengthened our caucus”.
The statement added that, although he is leaving Parliament, the party “takes comfort in knowing that he remains part of the continued struggle for the total emancipation of the black child”.
MK has not announced who will replace Montana on its list or whether he will retain any formal advisory role in the movement outside Parliament.
Montana’s departure follows the resignation of Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, who recently gave up her MK seat amid mounting pressure over allegations that she helped recruit South Africans to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine and an ongoing terrorism-incitement trial linked to the July 2021 unrest.
In her case, MK leaders framed the move as a step to allow her to focus on legal matters and to assist families of men stranded near the front lines of the conflict.
Who is Lucky Montana?
Lucky Montana is best known for his time at the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, where he served as CEO during a period of major rolling-stock procurement and capital spending.
He left PRASA in 2015 amid mounting controversy over governance, spending and allegations later examined at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into state capture, where he appeared as a witness.
He resurfaced in frontline politics when he joined MK’s slate of parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections, positioning himself as a critic of the ANC’s transport record and a supporter of Zuma’s breakaway project.
His resignation now removes one of the better-known technocrats from MK’s caucus and raises fresh questions about how the still-young party will stabilise its team in Parliament while dealing with ongoing legal and political battles involving some of its most prominent figures.
