Cape Town – Beaufort West Mayor Quinton Louw and Central Karoo District Municipality Speaker Mkhululi Hangana will step aside as they face corruption charges.
ANC Western Cape convenor Lerumo Kalako made this announcement on Tuesday during a briefing following the voter registration weekend.
He said the party was ready to submit the list of candidates to the IEC as all internal processes, including vetting of candidates, had been concluded.
Kalako said a hiccup occurred during internal vetting processes which lead to candidates being removed “pending cases and other matters which have been identified by the Integrity Committee as well as the Electoral Committee”.
“In particular, the ANC has noted developments with regards to the Beaufort West Municipality and the implications on the comrades who were recently charged by the NPA.
“Of great concern to us, was the arrest of the regional chairperson and current Mayor Cde Quinton Louw and the Speaker of the Central Karoo District Cde Mkhululi Hangana. The ANC respects and upholds the rule of law, including the principle of assumption of innocence till proven guilty. However, as part of our renewal processes and in keeping in line with our 54th National Conference on safeguarding the integrity of the organisation, the comrades will step aside from their responsibilities within the organisation. They are not averse to this. We appreciate and welcome their attitude,” said Kalako.
Louw and Hangana appeared in the Beaufort West Magistrate’s Court last Friday alongside municipal official Norwood Kotze and Karoo Democratic Force’s Noel Constable on charges of fraud and corruption after handing themselves over to the police.
Their case is linked to an investigation by the Hawks into an illegal and irregularly awarded contract worth more than R620 000 in 2019, relating to the upgrades of roads.
The province will soon be informed of “credible candidates” that will seek to further the agenda of ensuring service delivery to the people, Kalako said.
Political Bureau