Pretoria - Gauteng Premier David Makhura should intervene in the "corruption-infested" Tshwane municipality and place the capital city under administration, the regional African National Congress (ANC) said on Thursday.
"We call on [member of the executive council] MEC of [the cooperative governance and traditional affairs] CoGTA, the Premier of Gauteng David Makhura, Minister of CoGTA [Zweli Mkhize] and the President [Cyril Ramaphosa] to act and place the City under administration and promulgate a Special Investigating Unit probe," said ANC Tshwane regional chairperson Kgosi Maepa.
"There is now confirmed numbers emanating from the AGSA [Auditor-General of SA] report indicating that close to half a billion Rands has been paid out to GladAfrica."
Tshwane's city manager Moeketsi Mosola had been given five days to provide documentary evidence against the preliminary findings by AG Kimi Makwetu about the City’s controversial awarding of a R12 billion contract to engineering consultants GladAfrica.
The leaked AG report had information on the tender to roll out infrastructure projects valued at R12 billion.
The damning report suggested Mosola, who acted on behalf of the City, didn’t comply with the Municipal Supply Chain Management regulations.
It also noted that the municipality failed to demonstrate how it would derive benefits from the GladAfrica contract as required by the regulation.
Regarding the Tshwane ANC's blocked bid to table a motion of no confidence in Msimanga, Maepa said the matter with be settled in the high court on November 26 and 27.
Responding to the ANC statements, acting Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams said the municipality acknowledged the rot in the GladAfrica deal.
"The DA-led multi-party coalition restates its view that the Glad Africa appointment was irregular and must be subjected to an independent investigation. But the will of the people of Tshwane is being frustrated by a City Manager who refuses to have the Bowman Gilfillan [the company that conducted Tshwane's investigation into the tender] report into the matter tabled in Council. One can only suspect that he is concerned about its contents," said Williams.
Mosola also issued a statement on Thursday afternoon, via a public relations company.
"Although I believe the audit report was leaked with malicious intent as leaks are in their nature – this has not dampened my faith in the audit process of the of AGSA and its audit staff," said Mosola.
"In a draft leaked cover letter to the Accounting Officer [the city manager], the AGSA affirmed their respect for process and due diligence by affording the City of Tshwane an opportunity that ‘should you disagree with the findings, please provide documentary evidence and clarifications to the contrary at meeting’.
"My management team and I have provided the necessary written comments and clarifications to allow the AGSA to finalise the findings of the audit report and therefore will not be commenting further until this process is complete."