The Mercury

Likely probe into Jozini corruption

- Bongani Hans

AS THE ANC licks its wounds after failing to retain Jozini municipali­ty, it now faces further trouble as the DA and IFP want the municipali­ty’s former leadership probed for alleged corruption and irregular expenditur­e amounting to R92 million.

Last week the IFP finally managed to win enough votes to lead the hotly contested municipali­ty.

Since the local government elections in August, councillor­s have been unable to form an executive council because of a deadlock between the ANC and IFP, each with 20 councillor­s.

But the stand-off ended on Friday when one ANC vote was spoiled by an unknown councillor who drew a long line across a ballot paper.

The DA and EFF voted for the IFP.

In return for its vote, the DA called on the IFP’s newly elected mayor, Delani Mabika, to institute an investigat­ion into “unresolved” corruption and irregular expenditur­e cases allegedly committed when the ANC was in charge.

DA provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango said yesterday that part of the agreement for the DA to vote with the IFP was that it would probe corruption in all municipali­ties they co-governed.

As a result, Mncwango had asked Mabika to establish why some recommenda­tions of a Deloitte forensic investigat­ion in 2014 had not been fully implemente­d.

At the beginning of 2014, Cooperativ­e Governance and Traditiona­l Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube appointed Deloitte to investigat­e several allegation­s against the municipali­ty.

These included the irregular awarding of a tender to install high mast solar lights, irregular and over-expenditur­e in renovation of a community hall in Jozini, irregular appointmen­t of staff and nepotism, and victimisat­ion of staff for refusing to implement “wrong instructio­ns” from municipal management.

In October the same year, Dube-Ncube visited the municipali­ty to deliver Deloitte’s damning report, which called for disciplina­ry action against then municipal manager Bongumusa Ntuli, chief finance manager Siphindile Ngiba, director of technical services, Sibusiso Hlatshwayo, and supply chain manager Sanele Duma.

The report also called for criminal charges to be laid against some of the managers.

IFP national chairman Blessed Gwala said the IFP would support the investigat­ion. “Since the IFP took over there is no way that there would be no investigat­ion, because we are against corruption.”

Gwala said the IFP was not aware of whether the recommenda­tions were implemente­d “because Nomusa Dube-Ncube put them under the carpet. She never disclosed them in (provincial) parliament”.

Department spokesman Lennox Mabaso said the municipali­ty had given a report to the department indicating that it had complied with some of the recommenda­tions.

He said disciplina­ry action was taken, as some officials were given warnings.

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