Durban -eThekwini Deputy mayor Fawzia Peer has called for an urgent sitting of the executive committee (Exco) after death threats were made to a team from the auditor general’s office.
The threats were made in regard to probes by the auditor general’s office into two departments at eThekwini Municipality: supply chain management and the forensic investigations unit.
A letter from the auditor-general says the team was withdrawn after the threats were received.
City manager Sipho Nzuza then called for a meeting with the auditor-general.
Drastic
“I met the auditor-general in Pietermaritzburg yesterday (Wednesday). I told him that withdrawing his officials from doing their job was a drastic measure. We discussed how we could protect our employees, but the auditor general’s staff must do their job so that we can get to the bottom of this.
“We agreed that security would be provided for both sides. With or without threats, the job must be done,” Nzuza said.
He said the threats came in a call from a man who gave details to a team member about where they lived, where their children went to school, their travelling times and the routes they took.
“We can’t be bullied by people with corrupt intentions at the expense of eThekwini citizens. The caller’s focus was supply chain management, and that it should not be audited.
“I didn’t want to talk about these things, but the fact is there are many of these suspicious activities happening. I can’t claim to have a clean audit while we allow people to threaten us from doing our job,” Nzuza said.
The municipality performed well in the current audit, receiving an unqualified report.
“We failed only in one area, which was compliance. Even this came up unexpectedly and we sought legal advice on it. If you get an unqualified report, that’s fine, but the municipality decided to say we want excellence in all the three areas. Yes, we are doing fine, but we are not going to take these developments lightly.
“We will not be swayed by threats from serving our people,” he said.
Peer said she was shocked to hear of the threats, which she was only made aware of yesterday.
Since mayor Zandile Gumede is out of the country, according to law Peer assumes the duties of the mayor. However, Peer told the Daily News that she was not informed when the “alert” was sent by the auditor-general to the city on Wednesday.
“Someone else told me about this and when I enquired, I was told that the communication by the auditor-general was made on Wednesday.
“If this is true, then it shows that there’s huge corruption happening from within. If that’s the case, this municipality has no room for people who will be bulldozing others to get their hands on the city’s purse. Such people should not be working for this municipality,” she said.
“I’m made to understand that it’s supply chain and the forensic investigations units. That calibre of workers don’t belong here because if they threaten the auditor-general’s team, then they have something to hide, and they are corrupt.
“An immediate executive committee meeting should sit to discuss this. An investigation into the matter should follow immediately,” Peer said.
IFP Exco member Mdu Nkosi said the threats warranted the immediate attention of law enforcement agencies.
He said the fact that supply chain management was targeted showed that there was corruption in the unit.
“I may not have the facts or details, but this implicates many people within the municipality. There have been investigations before and if senior officials were found to be involved, then the entire investigation would be thrown under the carpet.
“I still maintain that Cogta (Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department) should intervene. If that doesn’t happen, the municipality will collapse.
“The city manager himself, as an accounting officer, must ensure that this issue is dealt with,” he said.
The DA said the revelations about the threats were “very concerning”.