The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes Tshwane’s move to finally move ahead with blacklisting tenderpreneur, Edwin Sodi.
English and Afrikaans soundbites by Ald Cilliers Brink
It must be said though, that this only happened due to sustained pressure by the DA and reporting by the media. This alone compelled Tshwane to move on the Edwin Sodi blacklisting application. Nothing more, and nothing less.
The fact that Tshwane was able to submit the blacklisting application in the week that the Sunday Times reported on a string of excuses relating to why this couldn’t be done, shows how thin these excuses actually were.
On Monday, the DA briefed our attorneys to do a trace on Sodi and his associates to bust the excuse that Tshwane could not find these people in order to give them notice of a blacklisting application, which would kickstart the process.
Throughout the week, the media covered this move extensively, placing further pressure on Mayor Nasiphi Moya.
By Thursday, the same day that the AG came out with a damning report against the City, Tshwane announced that the blacklisting application had miraculously been submitted after more than a year of inexplicable delays.
However, considering the time that had elapsed while the City did nothing, their sudden ability to find Sodi following public outcry, and the announcement of that move on the day that the Auditor General made it clear that Tshwane is wasting money, and moving backwards on most key metrics.
The DA is only left to contend that this simply would not have happened without external pressure, and the opportunity to try and cover up their own financial blunders.