Councillor accused of R20k theft
ANC official served on hospital board
AN ANC councillor in the Raymond Mhlaba municipality stands accused of stealing more than R20 000 from the Fort Beaufort Hospital board’s coffers.
Ward 7 councillor Sive Luyolo Kiswa, who served on the hospital board, allegedly withdrew R20 285 from the board’s account and deposited it into his personal account last year.
He will appear before the Fort Beaufort Magistrate’s Court next Wednesday to answer to the fraud allegations. This will be his third appearance following his arrest on October 14. He is out on R500 bail.
Eastern Cape health MEC Phumza Dyantyi suspended Kiswa from the board in April and ordered that the allegations against him be probed.
Yesterday, the MEC said she had yet to receive a report on the investigation but stressed that on her watch there was zero tolerance on corruption and fraud.
Kiswa could not be reached yesterday for comment. He did not respond to a text message and later switched his phone off.
In May this year the Dispatch reported that the hospital was experiencing a range of problems, including broken windows, unkempt grounds and nurses having to mop floors due to a shortage of general workers.
The fraud case is not the only scandal hanging over Kiswa’s head as it has also emerged that his nomination as a councillor-candidate ahead of the August 3 elections did not follow procedure.
With the fraud charge over Kiswa’s head, his branch comrades, who have already lodged disputes with Amathole regional, provincial and national ANC bosses, yesterday called on party leaders to recall the councillor.
Branch leader Lonwabo Nginza said a by-election should be called to remove Kiswa.
While Nginza said they respected the innocent until proven guilty principle, he said residents had lost confidence in Kiswa.
“We want him to step down,” he said.
Nginza’s call for Kiswa to step down is in line with the ANC’s 2012 Mangaung elective conference resolution that leaders facing allegations that may bring the party into disrepute should protect the party’s image and resign.
However, since that resolution, many elected leaders have stayed in office while facing charges.
ANC provincial spokesman Mlibo Qoboshiyane said they were not aware of the court case against Kiswa.
He promised that the party’s integrity committee would be roped in to “expedite this matter”.
The ANC will also engage with the department of health to ascertain the facts of the allegations.
“The ANC is quite clear that corruption and fraud is something we are totally against. We will also have to talk to him but matters of the court will have to play out,” Qoboshiyane said. —