‘Show me the proof’
UDM leader demands evidence of claims against ousted Bobani in heated exchange
IF you have evidence of corruption against Mongameli Bobani, don’t keep it in your briefcase – show me. This was the demand by UDM leader Bantu Holomisa in one of a string of furious e-mails between him and DA leader Mmusi Maimane. The e-mails reveal how the conflict between Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Athol Trollip and his ousted deputy has spilt over to their national bosses.
Both Maimane and Holomisa have closed ranks around their Bay deployees, with each urging the other to act to resolve the political stalemate, which has dragged on for about eight months.
Things came to a head last week when Bobani was voted out as deputy mayor at a dramatic council meeting.
The motion had been put forward by new coalition partner the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and was supported by the DA, COPE and ACDP.
Detailing the extent to which their relationship had frayed, Trollip said that minutes before Bobani was voted out, he put an arm around the mayor and whispered, “I beat you. F*** you”, before triumphantly lifting his arms as he believed the attempt to remove him had failed.
Bobani, however, said he had merely whispered to Trollip to be a gentleman and “talk to your people not to mess around”.
But the coalition rammed through the decision with 60 votes, which was a majority of the number of councillors in the chamber at the time.
It sparked a national row between the DA and UDM, with Holomisa initially threatening to pull out of the coalition should Bobani not be reinstated by yesterday.
He has since backed down on this threat, but vowed to challenge in court the procedure by which Bobani was removed.
No court papers had been filed by late yesterday afternoon.
In the e-mail exchanges between Holomisa and Maimane since Friday, they traded jabs on how the fracas has played out in the public domain.
While Holomisa questioned whether Maimane was truly in charge of the DA, Maimane said he was baffled that the UDM leader continued to protect Bobani.
Holomisa wrote on Friday: “If you have evidence of corruption, don’t keep it in your briefcases.
“You have been making [a] noise about these unfounded allegations against Bobani, but you failed to share the information with us as your fellow leaders in the coalition.
“We asked you to table the so-called investigation findings by [auditing firm] PwC [PricewaterhouseCoopers] to the NMBM council, especially [as] you have used [the] municipality’s funds for the investigation.”
In another e-mail sent yesterday, Holomisa said he disagreed with Maimane’s statement that there was evidence of maladministration, fraud and tender irregularities involving the public health department under the political leadership of Bobani.
Bobani was fired as political head of public health in May, with PA councillor Marlon Daniels set to take his place shortly, it emerged yesterday.
The deputy mayor position was expected to be filled at the next council meeting, Trollip said. The
You have been making [a] noise about these unfounded allegations against Bobani, but you failed to share the information with us as your fellow leaders in the coalition – Bantu Holomisa
If our coalition is seen to be no different to the corrupt ANC, then we will not achieve our goal, to the detriment of every South African – Mmusi Maimane
coalition partners still had to decide on the most suitable person to put forward for election, he said.
However, PA leader Gayton McKenzie insisted on Friday that a member of his party should take up the post.
Meanwhile, in the e-mail exchanges between Holomisa and Maimane, the UDM leader said he believed that the so-called irregularities uncovered by PwC – detailed in two draft forensic reports – were an indictment on city manager Johann Mettler who, he believed, should be held accountable for all financial transactions.
The reports are said to detail how litter pickers were hired irregularly, allegedly at the behest of Bobani, to the tune of R1.1-million, and that a company contracted to the metro, Milongani Eco Consulting, was irregularly paid more than R25-million.
“All directorates fall under the authority of the executive mayor, whereby he delegates into his [mayoral committee],” Holomisa wrote. “As such, being the delegator makes him equally liable.
“There can never be prima facie evidence against Bobani as he does not sit in tender committees, nor is he part of the administration. If you have the so-called prima facie evidence that implicates Bobani, please bring it in public. The UDM will act against him immediately.”
Maimane said in his e-mail to Holomisa that all party leaders had been furnished with a copy of the PwC reports.
He also said he believed it was a waste of precious time and council resources to challenge the council decision in court.
He explained his party’s zerotolerance stance on corruption.
“If our coalition is seen to be no different to the corrupt ANC, then we will not achieve our goal, to the detriment of every South African,” Maimane wrote.
“We need to live and breathe our commitment to clean government.
“In addition, I remind you that Cllr Bobani has voted several times with the ANC in council.
“We encourage you to replace him and nominate a new UDM councillor to take his place in the government.”
But Holomisa said had they not demanded the reports at a meeting with coalition leaders on Tuesday last week, the chances were they would never have seen them.
He questioned why the DA had copies if the forensic investigation had been commissioned by the municipality.
He wrote that the DA was more interested in distorting the findings before tabling the reports in the council.
Yesterday, Trollip – with coalition partners COPE and the ACDP and the rest of his mayoral committee – said at a media conference that during Bobani’s tenure as public health political head he had been notified of alleged irregularities in the department. He said once the two draft reports were finalised by PwC, charges would be drawn up against all those implicated.
Trollip alleged that irregular payments had been made from the metro to Milongani since it had been contracted in June 2015 – more than a year before Bobani’s term started – and that he had put a stop to that.
Asked how Bobani had been linked to the irregularities, he said: “The position of the deputy mayor and his name have been mentioned.
“This was also happening under his authority for public health, and the Milongani payments were happening, especially after I had written to inform him and the city manager that payments should not be made.” But Bobani rubbished the allegations. “Trollip comes with a new story every day,” he said.
“They removed me from public health and then he said I voted against the coalition.
“He later said I was involved in illegally appointing litter pickers.
“I don’t even know this Milongani company. I have nothing to do with administrative matters – Trollip must speak to his city manager, who is his accounting officer.”
He failed to understand why Trollip had not tabled these “so-called reports” in council. “Where is the evidence? My hands are clean, I have nothing to hide,” he said.
Milongani director Mpho Nangammbi failed to respond to questions sent to him.