Solly cracks the whip

IN THE OPEN: DAMNING REPORTS HIGHLIGHT FINANCIAL IRREGULARITIES

Msimanga warns some will exchange their work suits for orange ones.

Multiple damning forensic reports on financial irregularities relating to the previous ANC administration of the City of Tshwane are on their way to the Gauteng Provincial Treasury and National Treasury and should be on their doorstep in the next 24 hours.

Executive mayoral spokesperson Matthew Gerstner told The

Citizen the reports the executive mayor Solly Msimanga produced at yesterday’s council meeting will be couriered to the National and Provincial Treasury’s offices.

“The mayor wants to follow the correct procedures and properly table these reports. He has damning reports against senior officials in the former ANC administration, which require investigation. Once the treasuries have confirmed these financial irregularities are outside the law, a case will be opened with the police,” he said.

According to Gerstner, the police’s elite unit, the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks), will most likely get involved in the investigations.

Gerstner said he has no knowledge at this time of who the parties are involved in these reports, only that they are senior.

Msimanga yesterday sparked outrage in the first ordinary council meeting when he threatened to put alleged corrupt ANC councillors in “orange suits”.

Msimanga pulled files containing forensic reports from his bag, waving them in the direction of ANC councillors. “These are forensic reports that have been suppressed from seeing the light of day. If you think everything was swept under the rug, you have another thing coming.

“We are coming. Some will change their suits into orange suits,” said Msimanga, referring to prison overalls.

Irate ANC members relentlessly called for a point of order, requesting Msimanga to provide evidence on his “conspiracies” or to report the allegations to the nearest police station.

ANC Tshwane region deputy chairperson and council member Mapiti Matsena denied the allegations, stating the reports were commissioned by the former administration.

“The forensic reports you talk about were commissioned and done by the previous administration. You have information of the outcome of that administration.”

The chamber got more heated when Msimanga accused former mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa of failing to address racial segregation at Curro School last year.

“I am the first mayor that got up and addressed the hair issue at Pretoria Girls High. When the Curro incident took place, Ramokgopa was nowhere to be found .”

EFF councillor Stephen Chauke called for a point of order, saying the EFF is not interested in maladministration but requested Msimanga to allocate Tshwane’s budget to those in need.

“We don’t want your budget to go to white areas but to people who need it in places like Soshanguve and Hammanskraal. We don’t want bicycle lanes built by Ramokgopa,” Chauke said. – news@citizen.co.za

We don’t want your budget to go to white areas but to people who need it in places like Soshanguve and Hammanskraal.

Stephen Chauke EFF Councillor