Pretoria - Soshanguve resident Prudence Moselante laid charges of fraud and corruption against Ward 37 ANC councillor Siphiwe Montla at the Akasia police station on Monday.
Moselante claimed she was kicked out by members of the area committee acting on Montla’s orders from the stand in Extension 5. She had lived there since 2013. Another ANC councillor was arrested and later released in Pretoria West for similar allegations.
Area members allegedly forcibly removed her from her home and told her the stand had been reallocated by Montla. After her removal, they allegedly offered her money to keep her mouth shut.
She told DA mayoral candidate Solly Msimanga, who accompanied her to the police station, that she was threatened during the alleged eviction.
Msimanga said: “As a result, she previously opened an attempted murder case that is still pending before the Pretoria North Magistrate Court.”
According to Msimanga, the DA submitted several enquiries to the Tshwane department of housing about this illegal and unacceptable practice. “Numerous residents have complained about being evicted from Extension 5 and told to relocate to Extension 19,” he said.
Msimanga also condemned “a bizarre and unprocedural move” by the police, who allegedly contacted the councillor before charges were laid against him.
He said this police conduct was not in line with standard police procedure and amounted to protecting the councillor from due process.
“We have subsequently ascertained that Montla was called and tipped off about the charges being laid,” Msimanga said.
Meanwhile, the area committee members have been fingered as having asked for bribes or sexual favours from residents of “Marry Me” informal settlement in Soshanguve. Msimanga visited the informal settlement after he had been to the police station.
Residents there told him Montla was behind the changing of names of RDP beneficiaries on the waiting list for houses in Extension 19.
They claimed that people were asked to pay R500 to area committee members to fast-track their RDP house applications.
When contacted Montla denied the bribery claims, saying those who made the allegations should report them to the police. “I told residents there not to give money to anyone promising them houses,” he said.
Regarding the case opened against him, he said the police investigation would reveal whether he evicted anyone or not.
He said it was not the prerogative of a councillor to either allocate houses to people or to remove them.
“Before I became a councillor, there was a company which used to evict people, but since then there had not been anyone evicted,” he said.
Area committee leader Jomo Mamabolo denied he had collected money from the community.
Pretoria News