EDITOR
The latest shocking revelation that the city is withholding the outcome of an internal investigation into the Serengeti Rise development at 317 Currie Road encapsulates exactly what is wrong with our local government.
SAVE OUR BEREA is copied in on all the correspondence in this matter, and it must be reiterated that the investigation only came about because Advocate Aboobaker demanded it. The Integrity and Investigation unit made absolutely no attempt on its own volition, to investigate who was responsible, despite an obvious, well publicized court case. The question must be asked then, what is the purpose of this unit that the ratepayers fund?
Secondly, the correspondence, which is prolific, sees the head of this unit being pushed by Advocate Aboobaker to complete the investigation and then the unit head giving dates for completion that are missed, and then promising to release the report to the advocate. It was only at the end of the investigation that it became apparent that the report would be withheld. Why?
The Constitution of South Africa entrenches our right to information. It was included to protect the citizens of this country and not as a tool for politicians and officials to hide their incompetence and irregular and/or illegal activities.
Former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo put it succinctly in a 2011 Constitutional Court judgment: “The constitutional guarantee of the right of access to information held by the state gives effect to accountability, responsiveness and openness as founding values of our constitutional democracy. It is impossible to hold accountable a government that operates in secrecy. In a democratic society such as our own, the effective exercise of the right to vote also depends on the right of access to information. For without access to information, the ability of citizens to make responsible political decisions and participate meaningfully in public life is undermined.
The eThekwini Municipality either believes in the Constitution, or it doesn't. There is no middle ground on the cornerstone of our democracy.
Kevin Dunkley
Cheryl Johnson
SAVE OUR BEREA
