Mashaba slams military veterans’ plan
JOHANNESBURG mayor Herman Mashaba has slated the planned march of the ANC military veterans to his office as a plot to protect their senior party members, who allegedly looted state coffers while their party was governing the city.
Mashaba’s outbursts came after UMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans (MKMVA) circulated messages via social media urging its members to march to the City of Joburg’s headquarters to support tomorrow’s motion of no-confidence against Mashaba and his speaker Vasco da Gama.
While Mashaba appears only concerned about MKMVA, Cosatu and the SACP have also vowed to march to his office tomorrow as part of the Section 77 national strike initiated by Cosatu.
Last week, Cosatu and the SACP accused Mashaba of laying “flimsy disciplinary charges against their members”.
Thousands of Cosatu members are expected to march to the city centre before going to the banks to demand the “end of state capture”.
The ANC filed a motion of no-confidence against Mashaba and Da Gama earlier this month, but the council’s programming committee rejected it saying it was not filed according to council rules.
That prompted the ANC to approach the High Court in Joburg asking it to force the city to hold the motion via a secret ballot. Arguments on the matter are expected to be heard tomorrow.
But Mashaba was shocked by the determination of the military veterans to march against him saying: “I can only surmise that the reason behind the interest is to protect the ANC’s patronage networks which previously allowed them to loot state coffers for their benefit.
“Indeed, I have been advised that the city will soon receive a full report based on an independent forensic investigation into the previous administration’s decision to purchase a 900km fibre broadband network at a cost of R1.3 billion,” Mashaba said.
Preliminary findings of the report indicated that a number of high-profile individuals associated with the ANC were linked to the city’s decision to purchase the fibre network, he said.