Cape Town - Long-serving City manager Achmat Ebrahiem, along with two other senior managers, must provide reasons why they should not be put on precautionary suspension following allegations of irregularities and corruption worth millions.
The City of Cape Town full council, which sat behind closed doors, took the resolution on Tuesday following simmering tensions within the administration and offices of Melissa Whitehead, the transport and urban development commissioner, and Craig Kesson, the chief resilience officer in Mayor Patricia de Lille’s office.
Kesson, who is married to DA MPL Mirelle Wenger, is the man tasked with leading the city’s efforts to avoid “Day Zero” - the day taps run dry.
The special meeting was called after Kesson asked for an investigation into alleged irregularities involving the city’s department of transport and urban development.
In a meeting of the transport and urban development committee last week, the opposition ANC alleged that Whitehead was guilty of nepotism for hiring two friends.
It further alleged that Whitehead was involved in unfairly advantaging a Chinese company, BYD, to secure a R249 million tender to manufacture 11 electric buses.
Kesson is almost certain to be sacked after four confidential reports recommended his suspension owing to his alleged unauthorised investigations into Whitehead and allegations against Ebrahim.
De Lille released a statement after the meeting saying she was seeking legal opinion on the affidavit deposed by Kesson.
“In response to the affidavit deposed by the executive director of the directorate of the mayor, Craig Kesson, made under the provisions of the Protected Disclosures Act, I was not afforded an opportunity to respond to all the allegations contained in this affidavit. Once my lawyers have concluded my response to the content of the affidavit tabled at the special council meeting, I will make it available by the end of the week," she said.
Council speaker Dirk Smit said: “After a confidential special council meeting I ruled that the agenda, and all other documentation submitted to council, be open to the public in the interest of transparency."
The council’s audit committee will start an independent investigation into all allegations surrounding the three officials. The resolution came after a motion by deputy mayor Ian Neilson asking that all the allegations be investigated.
Kesson accused Ebrahim of misconduct for failure to properly implement the city’s contract for “station management and related services” for the MyCiTi bus service.
He also alleged that Ebrahim failed to properly consider or report to council allegations against Whitehead for alleged irregular fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the management of a contract related to the city’s Rapid Transit Fare System. Kesson also alleges Ebrahim failed to report allegations of misconduct by Whitehead for alleged irregularities involving payments for Volvo bus chassis.
Kesson claimed that Ebrahim failed to report Whitehead’s conduct regarding the city’s Foreshore Freeway Precinct tender. Ebrahim did not respond to calls for comment.