Two councillors from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in J.B. Marks have been temporarily suspended from the political party after voice notes were circulated, possibly implicating them in extortion.
According to Papiki Babuile, the provincial secretary of the EFF, the recordings allege that the councillors were meant to receive money in exchange for either approving or rejecting the municipal budget.
He says the provincial EFF branch was shocked to receive the recording of the councillors at around 18:00 on Saturday, 4 July.
“In their conversation, they made it very clear that they should be paid no less than R3 million before attending a council meeting where the municipal budget was to be adopted,” stated Babuile.
According to him, it seems like they agreed upon R5 million.
The provincial EFF branch immediately decided to suspend the members until their disciplinary hearing.
“We have also decided to extend our probe to the entire EFF caucus in J.B. Marks, by subjecting them to the same disciplinary processes,” he said. According to Babuile, they wish to find the root of the corruption and deal with the corruptor too, to ensure that it doesn’t occur again.
The EFF has opened a case against the councillors and strongly condemns this act.
“Approving a municipal budget is key in providing services to our communities. We will never tolerate any acts of opportunism, where this and many other processes are used to extort money for personal benefit in the name of the organisation,” he said.
Members receiving monetary gain to either approve or reject the budget would render the process not credible.
They call on other political parties that are part of the council to fight against corruption.
William Maphosa, the J.B. Marks spokesperson, confirms that they are aware of the voice notes that have gone viral and condemn this act. “To use a legitimate council process to extort money is the most perverse and debase standard one can sink to,” he said in a statement. “The office of the speaker is considering the matter and will consult with the whips of the political parties. They will then determine the course of action to be taken.
