ADM ratepayers hit with huge security bill

Four bodyguards hired to protect ANC councillor are paid total of R318,000 a month

Ratepayers in the struggling Amathole district municipality have forked out almost R1m to provide security for a senior councillor in just three months

— and the bill could hit R2m by the end of July.

The dizzying sum has been spent to safeguard the ANC’S Nanziwe Rulashe, after video footage of her being pulled out of her office and dragged across the floor by armed men on January 24 went viral.

The councillor, whose East London home was sprayed with bullets a week later, disclosed at the time that there had been a string of attempted break-ins at her property since late last year.

Between February and April the Amathole council, which sometimes struggles to pay staff salaries, forked out more than R318,000 a month to provide Rulashe with four private bodyguards.

This translates to a monthly salary of R80,000 for each of the guards.

In April, the municipality abruptly stopped the payments, leading Rulashe to hire other guards to safeguard her.

The original decision to offer protection to the councillor was taken after a threat assessment was conducted by the police crime intelligence unit.

The unit has protested to the municipality over its decision to stop paying for Rulashe’s security, according to a report scheduled to be debated at a special ADM council meeting on Thursday.

The report, set to be tabled by mayor Nceba Ndikinda, reveals that audits had flagged that the municipality was over-using a deviation process when procuring goods and services.

“The over-utilisation of a deviation process can affect the outcome of the municipality’s audit.

“That means an increase in irregular expenditure, if the reason [for the] deviation is deemed by the auditor-general not to be justifiable,” the report states.

Rulashe confirmed that she had been provided with four bodyguards between February and April, but that the service had then been stopped by the council, against the instructions of crime intelligence.

She said her bodyguards were abruptly withdrawn on May 6, the day she attended the ANC provincial conference at East London’s ICC.

“I don’t know why the securities were removed on the day that my life was at risk and the day I needed them the most, as chaos and danger during the ANC provincial conference could not be ruled out.

“After a threat assessment was done by police intelligence, I was asked to provide the municipality with three security companies and they chose one for me.

“On the day of the conference, they told me that the municipality had told them to pull [out].

“I then approached the police’s crime intelligence and informed them that my security detail had been withdrawn, against their orders.

“I then organised another company to protect me, which did so in early May and June, but they have not yet been paid by the municipality, for reasons I do not know.”

The Dispatch has seen a copy of a confidential letter, dated May 25, from the office of the crime intelligence unit boss in the Buffalo City Metro, Colonel M Mkhathali, asking Amathole why it had halted payments for Rulashe’s security detail.

In the letter, addressed to municipal manager Thandekile Mnyimba, Mkhathali said his unit had not provided any time frame for the provision of security to Rulashe and that until another threat assessment had been done the municipality should continue paying for her bodyguards.

On Wednesday evening, ADM spokesperson Nonceba Madikizela-vuso said on receipt of the crime intelligence threat assessment, the municipality had followed a limited bidding process due to the urgency of the matter.

“Tyeks [Security Services], who had the cheapest quotation, which at the same time covered all the basic necessities for the provision of security, was appointed at a total cost of R318,000 per month, for a period of three months.”

The appointment was limited to three months to allow the municipality to review the situation, Madikizela-vuso said.

“A request for a report to determine whether there was still a threat on the councillor’s life, was submitted to the crime intelligence, and ADM never received such a report, hence the contract was not renewed.”

Madikizela-vuso said ADM’S contract with Tyeks entailed the provision of four armed security personnel, with two of them accompanying the councillor on her trips, while two others alternated in guarding her home.

Madikizela-vuso said after that contract lapsed on May 8, “any security provided to Rulashe post that date is outside the contract between ADM and Tyeks Security and as such ADM is not responsible for payment thereof”.

Rulashe said the dragging incident had taken place moments after a heated strategic planning meeting at ADM’S East London offices.

Five people have since been arrested, including the district municipality’s head of security.

The matter is still before the court.

No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting incident. Rulashe was not home at the time and no one was injured.