An investigative report tabled in the Tshwane Municipal Council today, confirms that Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise unlawfully benefits from a contract between the municipality and Triotic Protection Services.
English soundbite by Cllr Jacqui Uys
The investigative report compiled by Ncube Incorporated confirms that Modise is in continual breach of the code of conduct for councillors, which holds that a councillor cannot benefit from a contract with the municipality.
When Modise was elected as councillor in 2023 he neither declared nor divested his beneficial interest in Triotic Protection Services, a company with a multi-million rand security contract with Tshwane.
In the meantime Tshwane has twice extended its contract with Triotic without following tender procedures incurring at least R170 million in irregular expenditure.
Modise told investigators that he had sold his shares in Triotic by means of an installment sales agreement. But he could not produce documentary proof of such an agreement.
The investigators found that even if Modise had sold his interest in terms of such an agreement, the beneficial interest in Triotic Protection Services had not passed to a new owner.
Moreover, Modise also gets rental income from the property where Triotic Protection Services does its business.
Despite being given two opportunities to explain himself, Modise failed to provide any refutation of the allegation that he is in continual breach of the code of conduct.
The report provided sufficient grounds for Modise’s removal to be recommended to the Gauteng MEC for Local Government.
Instead the ANC and their coalition partners kicked the can down the road, referring the report to a council committee, despite the case against Modise already being crystal clear.
Modise’s misrepresentation in failing to declare his interest in Triotic and the prejudice suffered by the City by the irregular extension of the Triotic contract justifies a criminal charge of fraud against Modise.
The DA has informed the Tshwane speaker that we do not regard the report against Deputy Mayor as confidential and will use it to lodge a criminal case against Modise with the South African Police Service.