ANC hails fraud conviction of ex-DA councillor

THE ANC has hailed the fraud conviction of DA member and former councillor Wilma Brady.

The disgraced Brady was convicted on charges of fraud and contravening the Public Finance Management Act earlier this week.

She had entered into a R3 million contract with a building developer for the construction of low-cost houses in Blue Downs.

While Brady was a ward councillor and chairperson of the Oostenberg sub-council of the City in 2006, she set out with intent to defraud, among others, developer company Lelethu and/or the MEC for local government and housing, by misrepresenting that she was authorised by the provincial housing department to conclude contracts with developers, according to her charge sheet.

Between October and December 2006, the charge sheet reads that she unlawfully entered into a contract with Lelethu which purported to bind the housing department financially to the value of R3m for the development and construction of the low-cost houses.

The State argued that Brady acted contrary to the tendering process when she entered into the agreement.

ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacob said: “This conviction proves that however long it takes, no one can escape the long arm of the law.” The party said former ANC provincial secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha had opened criminal charges against Brady.

The charges were in relation to Brady releasing provincial land to a housing developer without authorisation, Jacobs said.

“The ANC has consistently raised awareness about similar incidents where DA councillors in the City of Cape Town took it upon themselves to lease or sell municipal land – and will write to the minister of Co-operative Governance to investigate these incidents since the DA took over in 2006.

“The ANC will continue to relentlessly pursue and fight against corruption in DA municipalities and expose their claims of good governance as a big fuss and misdirection,” said Jacobs.

The DA has said it would study the judgment and make a decision regarding Brady’s party membership.