Pretoria - ANC mayor of Msukaligwa Local Municipality, Angie Mahlalela, who has been accused of defying a resolution by her party to recall her from office, has spoken out against corruption at the municipality.
The regional executive committee (REC) in Gert Sibande in Mpumalanga resolved to recall Mahlalela, the council speaker Ncane Mandini, and Chief Whip Samkelo Buthelezi, after almost three months in office, but they all refused to step down.
The three believed that the REC wanted to oust them because they launched a crusade against corruption.
Last week, the Pretoria News reported that 14 councillors sympathetic to their cause threatened to resign from the council, citing that the REC was interfering in the running of the municipality.
According to them, REC secretary Lina Masina instructed them to reconvene council sitting and rescind a decision to institute a forensic probe into a R103 million security contract awarded in contravention with supply chain management regulations.
Municipal spokesperson Mandla Zwane said Mahlalela last week opened a case of corruption against the implicated security company and the municipal director of community and social services.
“A law firm has been appointed to conduct a forensic investigation on all allegations listed on the letter submitted by the 14 ANC councillors,” he said.
Zwane said the municipality was not at liberty to make further comments at this stage on the allegations until the investigation was concluded.
“The law firm is expected to submit the report within 30 days,” he said.
It was suspected that a corrupt activity took place in December when the Gert Sibande District Municipality made an R82m advance on behalf of Msukaligwa to a service provider, despite the fact that the municipality never requested such an advance.
ANC REC spokesperson Aubrey Maboea said the three were appointed into temporary positions after last year’s municipal elections.
He said the interim appointments were made to afford the party time to rectify “glitches made when the ANC was registering its candidates”.
“Candidates number one and two, when we were registering them at the IEC, we found that they were candidates number 18 and 19. We therefore have to correct the process,” Maboea said
He said it was not true that the REC was interfering in the municipal affairs. He pointed out that the contention stemmed from the REC’s decision to recall the mayor, council speaker and chief whip.
“The REC decided to recall the interim leaders on January 10, and communicated it to them. The leaders initially accepted the decision, but later refused to submit resignation letters.
“We didn’t say they must resign as councillors but as mayor, speaker and chief whip, so they can open positions for people approved by the PEC,” Maboea told the Pretoria News.
Pretoria News