Joburg mayor fires councillor

The Democratic Alliance-led Joburg Metropolitan Council continues to work hard for the people of the city while the ANC lies from the opposition benches, mayor Herman Mashaba, pictured, said yesterday.

His comments came after the ANC said this week it had learnt that Mashaba was set to fire mayoral committee member (MMC) for finance, Rabelani Dagada, over the city’s continued billing crisis.

“The ANC has gone mad, they’re failing as an opposition … much worse than they were in government. Why would I fire him?

“Did they think they would attract attention by lying? They lie as opposition. How are people going to believe the ANC when it lied for the past 20 years, was kicked out and still lies?

“They have taken their lies to another level,” he said.

The ANC was unseated in Joburg in last year’s local government elections.

Instead, Mashaba on Wednesday fired economic development MMC Sharon Peetz for “suspected misconduct” after she allegedly submitted fake proof of payment as evidence she paid for her mother’s expenses to accompany her on an official trip to Spain.

“The ANC brought it to our attention that public funds were used to pay for her mother. We initially found it not to be true. I checked with her and she brought proof that she paid for her mother through the travel agent.

“But on Monday, it came to my attention that she... did not pay, although she had told me she paid. I had serious problems with that as I cannot trust her in future, I felt compromised, because I cannot work with people I cannot trust.”

The ANC yesterday in turn called for Mashaba to resign for “covering up” Peetz’s trip details.

“We are not impressed by the mayor’s publicity stance.

“He pretends to be a man of integrity yet he tried to cover up the story by agreeing with councillor Peetz to repay the money so that the matter could be laid to rest,” ANC Joburg spokesperson Jolidee Matongo said. –