Ekurhuleni mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana and speaker Nthabiseng Tshivhenga are set to be investigated by the provincial government for their failure to table the Auditor-General’s report in the past council session.
An insider in the office of the MEC Mzi Khumalo had confirmed to The Star that the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC would constitute an investigation into the matter as requested by ActionSA’s caucus leader Siya Makhubu.
“Remember ActionSA leader wrote to the MEC to ask him to investigate the matter. In our reply to the letter, we did indicate that we would be investigating both the mayor and the speaker in this regard,” said an insider.
Makhubu confirmed that his party received a response from the MEC’s office.
Meanwhile, ANC Caucus chief Whip Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the ANC had not been made aware of the communique between ActionSA and the office of the MEC.
“We have not been exposed to of the formal correspondence to the MEC by ActionSA. We are not aware of any investigation against both the executive mayor and the speaker,” Dlabathi explained.
Ngodwana’s spokesperson, Yongama Mabhengu, told the publication that as the office, they haven’t received any communication from the MEC’s office.
“Look we are not aware of the set investigation and we are very much comfortable with ActionSA’s decision it’s well within their rights to ask the MEC’s office to investigate us.
We welcome any investigation into this matter especially in the office of the executive mayor,” Mabhengu emphasised.
At the same time, Cogta spokesperson Kgapa Mabusela said the department together with the MEC did not receive any letter from ActionSA.
“We have not yet received any letter purported to be from ActionSA on the matter of an investigation of both the offices of the mayor and speaker of in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
“We are therefore unable to comment on the matter,” Mabusela concluded.
ActionSA Ekurhuleni caucus leader insisted that they had sent the letter to the department.
“We sent them a letter last week. I’ll ask a colleague to share it with me as I don’t have my laptop with me,” Siyanda Makhubo explained.
This follows ActionSA decision to write to Khumalo, seeking his intervention after council Finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga’s failure to table the City’s 2022/23 Annual Financial Statement.
The party described the MMC’s failure to table the report as a clear lack of accountability and adherence to legal requirements as outlined in the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
“Failure to meet this deadline is a clear indictment against the puppet mayor Ngodwana, the EFF MMC for Finance Cllr Dunga and their ANC colleagues in the Mayoral Committee.
“ActionSA will also request that the Auditor-General issue a special report of the city, as the ANC/EFF coalition scrambles to cover up gross mismanagement,” Makhubo added.
He continued to say it was clear as day light that the current coalition government of the ANC-EFF, led by what he described as the hapless mayor Ngodwana, has led Ekurhuleni to the brink of being placed under administration for failure to pay creditors on time.
The Star
Sipho Jack
sipho.jack@inl.co.za