Public protector must step in to stop rot – Trollip

DA federal chair and Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Athol Trollip has asked public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane to urgently step in and stop what he said was financial mismanagement in the municipality.

In a letter sent to Mkhwebane on Tuesday, the former mayor wrote that those in power were transgressing many legislated requirements and flouting basic financial management regulations.

At the crux of Trollip’s correspondence is the move by mayor Mongameli Bobani to bring back suspended officials.

He also reported the attempts by the coalition government to amend a business plan for R700m loan funding in the council to include payment for events and legal fees.

“This proposal was compounded by the fact that [Bobani] and the MMC for infrastructure and engineering, Andile Lungisa, both suggested that the officials return to work by December 5,” Trollip said.

“This proposal is fraught with many concerns as the municipality has embarked on legal action against the suspended officials.”

On the attempt to amend the business plan, Trollip said: “This proposal is irregular and unlawful in so many ways that it escalates our concern that the current leadership seems to have no regard for the Municipal Financial Management Act and National Treasury regulations.”