Pretoria - The ANC in Tshwane on Monday laid criminal charges against Executive Mayor Solly Msimanga for his alleged failure to play an oversight role in the implementation of the controversial GladAfrica tender.
The tender was awarded to the engineering company last November to assist in the roll-out of infrastructure projects valued at R12billion.
ANC regional chairperson Dr Kgosi Maepa said charges against Msimanga were for “failing to adhere to functions and power of the executive mayor as outlined in the Local Government Municipal Structures Act”.
The move by the official opposition was supported by other related legislation flowing from the Constitution regarding corruption and maladministration in the City, he said. Maepa said Msimanga “must do an oversight over each and every contract above R200 000.”
His deputy Aaron Maluleka questioned why the City only used one company of the 26 obtained from the Development Bank of Southern African Bank. “It is not only city manager Dr Moeketsi Mosola who is implicated. He (Msimanga) has not played his oversight role. Therefore he is highly implicated.” Maluleka said the ANC knew Mosola was not found guilty in Bowman’s preliminary report. “We know that in the second report he will be found guilty.”
The ANC also laid criminal charges against DA MPL Fred Nel for allegedly using the k-word in referring to black people. The case stems from a message purported to be a WhatsApp conversation he had with his DA colleague Crezanne Bosch, also deputy chief whip of the council. A screen-shot of the message was circulated on social media.
In the alleged chat the pair apparently plotted to remove the head of the human settlements and housing oversight committee in council, Nkele Molapo, and DA regional chairperson Abel Tau.
Contacted for comment, Tau said he was unsure whether the message was authentic or not. Both Nel and Bosch said the message was fake and they’d be willing to subject themselves to lie detector tests. Molapo was suspended on Saturday as DA caucus member. It is understood it was linked to a WhatsApp message used by the EFF to lobby ANC support to scupper Msimanga’s efforts to suspend Mosola in council last week.
She allegedly took a screen-shot of a WhatsApp chat confirming the DA would receive support from the ANC and EFF as “neither have the capacity, will or appetite to run the City before the national polls”