Note to Editors: Please find an English Soundbite by Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku here
Following the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) finding that there has been collusion between City of Johannesburg (CoJ) supply chain officials, politicians, and service providers, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Johannesburg calls for an urgent full lifestyle audits of all CoJ officials. If the supply chain has been corrupted, other departments are just as susceptible.
This must be followed by reporting those found to be complicit in illegal activity to professional bodies, and most importantly, opening criminal cases with the South African Police Service (SAPS) against them.
We have written to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), National Treasury and the Auditor General to investigate possible violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Municipal Systems Act for exactly these reasons. Johannesburg finds itself in a governance crisis:
- Punitive cost order after punitive cost order is awarded against the City in court cases it loses, but they refuse to disclose how much money has been forked out in this regard;
- Last week the DA reported a dodgy R236 million water tanker tender to National Treasury for investigation; and
- In the past week public representatives were blocked from conducting oversight at places like the Johannesburg Art Gallery by members of the executive;
All of these incidents show the length that officials and the current administration will go to, to obstruct oversight and avoid accountability.
The DA also note the City’s unqualified audit outcome for the financial year 2022/23. It’s important to note that this is the period the DA-led Multiparty Government led the city. That is the DA difference.
We will continue to hold those responsible for the city’s decay to account. Even if we need to open the criminal cases ourselves. We demand accountability