Mayor ‘entitled to protection, vehicle despite suspension’
Sarah Masilela faces criminal charges of fraudulent claims
The ANC in the Nkangala district municipality in Mpumalanga sees nothing wrong with suspended mayor Sarah Masilela having VIP protection and a government-owned luxury vehicle after stepping aside following criminal charges against her.
The party said Masilela would enjoy these benefits until the Middelburg magistrate’s court found her guilty of the charges she was facing.
Masilela was arrested last month with eight other municipal officials by the Hawks and released on a R10 000 bail each over accusations that they aided the processing of documents claiming over R200 000 from the municipality in September 2019 for a Heritage Day celebration event that never took place.
She stepped aside a month ago.
The Hawks launched an investigation into the alleged fraudulent claims of R215 730 from the district municipality for the Ndzundzu Mabuza heritage celebration in Kwandebele.
Regional spokesperson Sello Matshokga said stepping aside did not mean Masilela “has ceased being a mayor”.
“What it means is that she will just not come to the office or be able to perform all the responsibilities that go with the position of the executive mayor as a fulltime councillor, but she remains the mayor and when she goes to the public she must be protected,” Matsokga said.
The DA has written a letter to district municipal manager Maggy Skosana about the state-owned 2020 BMW X3 in Masilela’s possession and wants it back together with the driver and the bodyguards for the use of acting mayor Tiny Mthimunye.
Masilela, in a letter to the ANC seen by Sunday World, denies she ever facilitated the fraudulent claims and said it was a witchhunt as she was poised to return to the post of mayor for a second time after scoring clean audits in the two past consecutive years.
“This is brought to purposefully diminish my reputation as it is known I have always conducted myself in due diligence,” she said, threatening to sue the state for “reputational damage”.
Masilela is seen as being aligned to acting provincial chairperson Mandla Ndlovu.