AUDIO: Tshwane mayor lays charges over alleged ‘sex recording’ with MMC

Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa has laid blackmail and extortion charges at the Brooklyn police after an alleged damning audio recording surfaced on social media, Rekord Centurion reports.

The mayor released a statement on the “supposed intimate engagement” saga with an MMC on Sunday, where the two office-bearers could allegedly be heard speaking of firing a city official over the billion rands GladAfrica deal.

The audio recording which has been circulating on social media platforms allegedly contains damning content against Mokgalapa and roads and transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge.

Mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyane said: “Both Mokgalapa and Senkubuge view this recording in a very serious light. Not only is it illegal to obtain such in terms of the criminal procedure act, but it is also being used as a tool to blackmail and extort undue favours from the city of Tshwane.”

Mokgalapa said he had been aware of the existence of the audio recording for a few days.

“We have been aware of the threats to release the recording,” said Mokgalapa.

Mokgalapa said “certain demands have been made”, which included the immediate reinstatement of four officials currently on suspension “for violations of the municipal finance management act and other relevant statutes governing the conduct of officials of the municipality”.

“We have both refused to give in to the demands of these individuals who are hell-bent on seeing us break the law to give them easy passage back into the municipality. This is despite the serious nature of the allegations they are facing. We will not sacrifice our oaths of office and betray the trust that the people of Tshwane have placed in us,” said Mokgalapa.

He said that now that a case had been registered with the Brooklyn police, he expected law enforcement authorities to “get to the bottom of these attempts to turn the municipality into a bastion of illegal activity”.

He said leaders could not be expected to turn a blind eye to “such illegal activity”.

“If these officials who are said to be behind this have committed nothing wrong, why are they trying to use nefarious ways of getting back into the municipality instead of subjecting themselves to the applicable disciplinary processes? If they’re indeed targets of a campaign to purge the municipality of certain individuals as it is claimed, then they should allow the disciplinary proceedings to exonerate them,” said Mokgalapa.

Mokgalapa said the city was also aware of attempts to involve worker representative organisations “in these illegal attempts to undermine the law”.

“We urge organised labour representing workers in the municipality to stand firm and reject any attempt to subvert the law for personal gain.”