By Alan Cooper
Durban councillor Visvin Reddy, chairperson of the unicity council's Tenders and Contracts Committee, is under investigation for allegedly soliciting bribes of free weekends from two hotels.
Reddy, the Minority Front council leader and
a member of the unicity's powerful Executive Committee (Exco), today dismissed the allegation as a "smear campaign" on the part of the rival Democratic Alliance.
But the council's Forensic Investigation Unit is taking the matter seriously. Although unit head Murray Stewart declined to comment, top council sources said investigators were today wrapping up a preliminary investigation which could lead to Reddy facing a charge of breaching the councillors' code of conduct, or even a criminal charge.
Durban Mayor Obed Mlaba said it was difficult to comment until all the facts had been established. "We don't know exactly what happened. We will have to listen to both sides of the story and take it from there."
He said in the past the council had not hesitated to act in cases of proven bribery and corruption.
The owner of one of the hotels concerned confirmed that unit investigators had on Wednesday interviewed hotel staff.
Ironically, the furore arose out of plans for Tenders and Contracts Committee members to hold a weekend workshop to discuss their duties, including ensuring all
council-related tenders and contracts were above board.
The DA has placed documents on the agenda of today's Exco meeting which, it says, show that Reddy "in person, and through a council employee, solicited bribes in the form of free accommodation at least two hotels in return for placing the business of the committee workshop with them".
The documents include letters from both hotels concerned, the Rob Roy Hotel in Botha's Hill and the Salt Rock Hotel on the North Coast.
The letter from Salt Rock Hotel owner Evan Mitchell is particularly damning.
He urges acting municipal manager, Eddie Morton, to investigate an attempt to "extort" free accommodation from the hotel.
"Certain staff members and a councillor attempted to force my conference co-ordinator into letting them have a free weekend at this hotel as the council intended to hold a workshop at our resort," he writes, later identifying the councillor as Reddy.
"All I can say is that my blood boils when this sort of thing happens."
A letter from Rob Roy Hotel banqueting co-ordinator, Claudette Sapet, contains a similar accusation, although she does not name Reddy.
The Rob Roy was eventually awarded the R16 500-workshop which is due to take place this weekend.
DA councillor and Exco member Lyn Ploos van Amstel said before going into today's Exco showdown the DA would demand Reddy's resignation from the Tenders and Contracts Committee, failing which it would ask the council to suspend him from the committee pending the outcome of the investigation.
Reddy was today adamant he would not resign. Speaking shortly before going in to confront his accusers, he denied soliciting the free accommodation.
He said the Salt Rock Hotel had offered the free stay to him and he had accepted in good faith after being assured this was common practice when big groups were booked.
He denied having any contact whatsoever with the Rob Roy Hotel.