Johannesburg - The Eastern Cape ANC region has claimed that fraud charges against a district mayor, Nomasikizi Khonza, was a ploy to prevent the national ANC from nominating her as the regional mayoral candidate for a second time.
The Amathole ANC region blamed party members for the charges following Khonza’s appearance in the East London Magistrate's Court on Monday on charges of fraud and corruption.
ANC regional secretary Thembalethu Ntutu said yesterday that Khonza's troubles began when 88 percent of the 120 branches voted for her to top the candidate list and as mayoral candidate ahead of the August 3 elections.
He claimed the aggrieved group had colluded with the Hawks to charge the district mayor.
“The aim of the charges was to block the ANC from forwarding her name to the ANC national list conference this weekend. We forwarded her name. She is still top on our list. We also nominated her to be re-elected as mayor.
“The charges were the work of those who were not happy with the outcomes of the branch general meeting and the regional list conferences which went in favour of Khonza,” Ntutu said.
Khonza appeared with another councillor, Nanziwe Rulashe, chairwoman of the municipal public accounts committee at the Nkonkobe Local Municipality.
The two were charged with defrauding the Amathole District Municipality of more than R2.5 million under the pretext of having funded the annual Miss Amathole Heritage beauty pageant.
According to the charges, the funds were transferred into their personal accounts, as well as those of Sigcinile Mabixane and Mawande Njeza - a claim Ntutu denies.
Khoza was released on bail of R15 000 and Rulashe on R10 000 bail, while Mabixane and Njeza were released on bail of R5 000 each. They are due back in court on July 8.
Ntutu said the regional executive was aware of the identity of the “plotters” but refused to name them, saying they are working very hard “to unite the ANC in the region”.
He said the district mayor did not sign the letter requesting donations for the beauty pageant but merely forwarded it to the municipality’s local economic director for approval, if it would bring economic value to the municipality.
According to Ntutu, the faction opposed to the mayor was hoping that the fraud charges would force the ANC provincial executive committee to summon Khonza before the party’s integrity commission ahead of the national list conference this weekend.
“They failed,” he said, adding that Khonza remained at the top of their list.
The ANC region also posted their sentiments on Facebook on May 25, saying: “We have witnessed in recent times state institutions being manipulated to advance political scores and in the main taint the credibility of leaders in the public domain. It will therefore be prudent that the trial commences soonest so a divide is drawn between prosecution and persecution”.
The ANC was reacting to a statement by Hawks head Lieutenant-General Mthandazo Ntlemeza that the time for “corrupt public servants who rob needy residents of service delivery has come and gone”.
On Saturday a Hawks spokesman maintained they had a strong case against the accused.
Sunday Independent