The DA in the metro recently said that both democracy and transparency had taken a hard hit in the metro.
This is said to have happened when both a motion and an urgent oral question to the mayor (who was not present), pertaining to a case of corruption, were rejected in their entirety by the Speaker of Council.
The DA’s motion – seconded by IRASA’s Clr Isak Berg – called for the metro’s city manager and chief accounting officer, Khaya Ngema, who is alleged to have been involved in the now notorious Qbit tender, to be placed on suspension until and if he is cleared of any wrongdoing.
The urgent question posed to Clr Mondli Gungubele, for reply, set out to ascertain who authorised Ngema to appoint a forensic accounting investigation company, Gobodo, to look into the issue when, in fact, council had resolved 18 months ago that the Qbit matter be dealt with by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The DA claimed that neither the motion nor the question were allowed on the agenda by Speaker Patricia Kumalo, who gave as her reason that the matter was already before council in a confidential item and would be debated.
The DA rejected this as a valid reason, because there is no guarantee that the in-committee item will address the concerns contained in the motion and question.
“The DA is determined to get answers on the matter, as it is not only irregular in terms of council processes but, as Ngema is implicated in the matter which Gobodo was meant to be investigating, it is also a conflict of interest, explain DA caucus leader Fortune Mahano and DA councillor Phillip de Lange, in a recent media release.
“The DA strongly believes that the mayor deliberately absented himself from today’s meeting due to the controversial matter on the agenda.”
The official reason given for the mayor’s absence from the council’s monthly meeting was that he was due to open the new Vosloorus Hospital.
