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DA to picket at Zondo commission as Joburg mayor Makhubo testifies

The DA says the ANC should immediately remove Makhubo as mayor of Johannesburg because he has been 'tainted with corruption'.

Current Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo. Picture: Nigel Sibanda

The DA is expected to picket outside the Braamfontein premises of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture on Friday morning, where Johannesburg mayor Geoff Makhubo will testify before commission chair, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

Makhubo is expected to give testimony on donations to the ANC made by IT service management company EOH and other companies, including Regiments Capital.

Makhubo was the treasurer of the ANC’s greater Johannesburg region from 2008 to 2018.

Addressing Zondo earlier this week, the commission’s evidence leader, advocate Matthew Chaskalson said: “He was also MMC [member of the mayoral committee] for finance when the city of Johannesburg concluded two IT contracts with EOH… and he will be testifying about his role in relation to those contracts.

“The last topic that will be traversed in the evidence of Mr Makhubo is his relationship with Regiments Capital which is 100% owner of Regiments Fund Managers, which won contracts to manage the sinking funds of Johannesburg.”

The DA said its picket would be led by the party’s regional chair, Tsepo Mhlongo, DA Johannesburg caucus leader Leah Knott and the party’s councillors in the city of Johannesburg.

The DA said they wanted the ANC to immediately remove Makhubo “instead of waiting for the outcome of a judicial process”.

In a statement, the DA said: “Makhubo’s company Molelwane Consulting is alleged to have received R30 million in bribes from Regiments Capital, a firm deeply implicated in state capture, all in exchange for maintaining strategic relationships with the city of Johannesburg, during his tenure as member of the mayoral committee on finance.

“Furthermore, Makhubo is also alleged to have solicited regular donations worth millions from an information technology company, EOH Holdings, while he was the ANC Johannesburg regional treasurer, all in exchange for tenders at the city of Johannesburg.

“These are just two examples that illustrate why Geoff Makhubo should be removed from his mayoral position. The residents of Johannesburg are being led by a man tainted with corruption.”

Meanwhile, former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA has endeavoured to get the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to issue nolle prosequi certificates so it can privately prosecute Makhubo, “former MMC of housing Dan Bovu, former municipal employee Mbali Maclare, and Mike McChesney along with mine management at Lily Mine”.

“Of interest, is that the NPA in Gauteng has already written back to confirm that they will not be pursuing cases against Bovu and Maclare and have made the startling admission that neither the NPA nor the Hawks have any record of the criminal case lodged against Makhubo. This is in spite of my laying of criminal charges against both Makhubo and Parks Tau [former Johannesburg mayor] on 10 December 2018 at the Johannesburg central police station,” the party said in a statement.

The party said it would communicate with the NPA to determine how the criminal case against Makhubo had allegedly “gone missing”.