The High Court in Pretoria is set to hear an urgent application by the former directors and chairperson of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) board Popo Molefe to set aside the decision of Transport Minister Dipuo Peters to dissolve the board.

Molefe’s legal team is expected to argue that the Minister’s appointment of an interim board is unlawfully and pre-empts the outcome of the case reports.

Molefe’s lawyers wrote to the minister of transport asking her not to appoint an interim board, however on Monday the minister announced the names of the new Board members.

She cited lack of good corporate governance and the recent public spat between the board and the former acting CEO Collins Letsoalo as part of her reason to fire Molefe and other directors.

Letsoalo’s lawyers have now also applied to be part of the proceedings set for Thursday and will ask the court to allow their client to be a respondent in the matter.

However the legal team representing Molefe is expected to oppose the move.