Call to act over councillor’s alleged bribery

A motion was submitted at an Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) council meeting on Friday calling for action against United Front councillor Aaron Mhlontlo for alleged bribery.

In filing the motion, ANC councillor Papama Madubedube said a voice note doing the rounds on social media implicated Mhlontlo in the appointment process of an EMLM director. Journalists were asked to exit the virtual meeting as an urgent discussion of the matter was to take place.

However, The Rep is in possession of a copy of the motion addressed to EMLM speaker Bongiwe van Heerden by Madubedube and seconded by councillor Ongama Adonisi.

“On the voice note the councillor of the opposition is clearly heard plotting and conspiring against the municipality of Enoch Mgijima, his intentions were to gain financially an amount of R50,000 through bribery from [the director].

“Mhlontlo can be heard on the voice note boasting that he has connections in the provincial office of Cogta that he will use to advance his own personal interests and not that of the council or the betterment of the people of EMLM.”

Madubedube also wrote that the matter should be taken to the office of the premier and to Cogta MEC Xolile Nqatha and the IEC. The letter stated that Mhlontlo was heard explaining his agenda of targeting politicians with a land audit report he had which was never tabled before the council, nor adopted as a working document of the EMLM council.

“The councillor can be heard boldly saying he submitted the motion to council about the employment of [the director] and that he can easily instigate for the council to rescind the motion once he receives the payment.

“His actions have dire consequences that are against the Code of Conduct for Councillors, and has potential of bringing EMLM into disrepute.”

In response, Mhlontlo told The Rep said he disputed the “exaggerated” points raised by Madubedube.

“There’s nothing on the voice note that suggests I was plotting and conspiring against the municipality with a view of soliciting financial gains. There is nowhere in the voice note that I was boasting about my connections in the provincial office of Cogta. The only person I know is the MEC.”

He said the director was the one who spoke of connections with the MEC. “I do not have any agenda to target any politicians with a land audit report which I do not have and I do not know it.”

He said the recoding was made by the director to try to trap him. “I wanted the unethical and immoral conduct of [the director] investigated as she was prepared to do anything for me to secure her job.”