DA accuses MMC of ‘inflating travel claims
Cllr San-Mari Wait of the DA will request the Auditor General to investigate travel claims made by members of the Steve Tshwete mayoral committee between the period June 2013 to August 2013, after a report apparently 'confirms the DA's suspicions that at least one committee member, Cllr Elphus Mathebula - the MMC for Economic Development, Finance & Auditing has been misusing his privilege for what appears to be personal gain'.
Cllr Wait states in a media release that during September 2013 the DA submitted questions to council regarding travel claims of committee members.
“However, the vague and evasive response prompted us to submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain the relevant information”.
A breakdown of claims filed by committee members from June to August 2013 shows that Councillor Elphus Mathebula claimed between R17 000 and R20 000 each month over the three month period. Whereas his colleagues claim on average between R3 000 to R4 000 a month.
The DA also provided a travel claim breakdown which shows what Cllr Mathebula claimed for over the period June 2013 to August 2013: Funerals – 1 651 km, Constituency work – 3 845 km, Complaints – 2 693km, Meetings – 1 365 km, Council work – 1 673 km, Interact with defaulters – 2 248, and meeting voters – 92 km.
In total Cllr Mathebula claimed 16 373 km’s for which he was paid an additional R55 470.60.
“It is clear that MMCs have taken the view that public funds are to be misspent for their own private gain, irrespective of the fact that communities have to battle daily with water, sanitation and electricity supply issues. Given council’s reluctance to provide the DA with full disclosure when first requested to, it confirms that both mayor Mike Masina and municipal manager Willie Fouche are in agreement over the “hidden benefits” reserved for political heavyweights,” Cllr Wait said.
“Some members of the mayoral committee (MMCs) have submitted claims for attending Mandela Day events in Middelburg, as well as artificially inflated distances to and from sites in the area.
“The DA will therefore write to the Auditor-General and request an investigation into the possible abuse of public funds, and to recover any unwarranted or fraudulent expenses”.
When approached for comment, Cllr Elphus Mathebula shrugged of the accusations, saying that he ‘welcomes any investigation’ and that ‘transparency was important for democracy’.
“The DA has every right to pursue every dead end they wish to. I have nothing to hide. As a Member of the Mayoral Committee I have a responsibility towards this community, and a lot of the time it means travelling long distances,” he said.
He also made mention of the Clean Audit Report that the Steve Tshwete Municipality has obtained for the fourth year in a row – which he said was ‘absolute proof’ that such allegations can not be true.
