Note to Editors: Please find an English soundbite by Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg has seen a forensic report that exposes serious lapses in corporate governance and accountability at the Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC) an entity of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality, and alleged fraudulent qualifications on a Manager’s CV.
The report was commissioned by Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS), Joburg’s internal anti-fraud unit, and shows that allegedly due to their political connections to the Patriotic Alliance the CEO of the MTC is protecting a Senior Manager who misrepresented his qualifications on his CV. The internal anti-fraud unit investigated and verified that the qualifications he claims to possess are allegedly fraudulent.
The GFIS anti-fraud unit went on to recommend that the Senior Manager be dismissed and that a criminal case of fraud be opened against him. This has not happened.
According to the report, this Senior Manager has been the Acting Corporate Executive at the MTC for more than a year
Instead of the CEO acting on the individual in question, after the anti-fraud unit revealed this scandal, the CEO suspended the HR Manager and is currently taking the MTC HR Manager through a disciplinary process.
It is also alleged that the MTC irregularly appointed external attorneys, at the expense of ratepayers, for this Senior Manager – which is a benefit reserved for Section 56 and 57 managers only.
The DA demands answers: Why has the Executive Mayor, Cllr Dada Morero, not acted on this report?
It appears that to keep his coalition together he is not acting on a serious case of alleged fraud and corruption in yet another entity in the City.
In terms of the Prevention and Combatting of Corrupt Activities Act the Mayor has an obligation to lay criminal charges in this scandalous matter, and the DA will pursue this until the charges are laid against this official who the anti-fraud unit of the City has found to have a case of fraud to answer. We have written to the Executive Mayor to demand that he acts on the recommendations of the report and responds within 7 days.
The DA stands up for of the rule of law, transparency, accountability and good governance.
We call on the Executive Mayor to stop hiding his head in the sand – the rule of law, and stamping out corruption is more important than holding his fragile coalition together.