Deputy mayor pays back R10k around fraud scandal, ‘interest’ goes to charity
According to Action SA, the deputy mayor failed to repay the money following Tshwane's 'crucial' failure to formally request the funds from her four years ago.
Tshwane’s first official deputy mayor has repaid the R10 000 she was accused of defrauding the financially challenged metro of four years ago.
However the Capital City’s deputy mayor, Dr Nasiphi Moya, currently still faces a fraud investigation which is yet to be concluded.
Moya was head of the chief of staff office at the time that Stevens Mokgalapa was mayor when the alleged fraudulent activity transpired.
She recently admitted to keeping the funds in her purse for four years due to her lapse in judgement and Tshwane’s failure to request the funds back.
She is accused of swindling money out of Tshwane when she received a subsistence allowance from the metro on a West Asia trip that she never undertook.
The repayment comes after opposition party EFF during a special council meeting in January after Moya’s historic election alleged that she was guilty of fraudulent activities.
According to Action SA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni, Moya had voluntarily repaid her subsistence allowance received from the Tshwane metro for the trip to Saudi Arabia in 2020.
“On February 2, the deputy mayor of Tshwane voluntarily returned the travel allowance, along with accrued interest, that had been paid by the City to her account for a trip subsequently cancelled.”
Ngobeni said Moya had been proactive in addressing this matter.
“It is important to note that the aforementioned amount was initially intended as a travel allowance for an official international trip to the Middle East, during the period when Dr Moya served as a member of the staff in the office of the mayor.
“In line with her commitment to transparently address this matter and maintain the integrity of her office, the Deputy Mayor, voluntarily returned the amount. This demonstrates that ActionSA operates at a higher ethical plane than what is legally required,” he said.
“In responding to the counterfactual suggestions that have been made, it is important to clarify that Dr Moya had no control over the travel arrangements or the subsequent cancellation, thereby dispelling any insinuations suggesting impropriety on the part of the deputy mayor.”
Ngobeni said the failure to repay the money was also due to Tshwane’s failure to formally request the funds four years ago.
“Crucially, following the cancellation of the trip, the City did not make any formal request for Dr Moya to return the amount paid, which can be attributed to the standard nature and purpose of a travel allowance advance payment,” Ngobeni said.
“Despite the city not having requested the return of this amount, Dr Moya has since repaid it in full. Moya had offered to pay interest on this amount, but the city could not accept it.
“Moya accordingly donated the interest to charity. A donation of R6 000 has been made to King’s Hope, a women’s shelter in Olievenhoutbosch,” he said.
“I can confirm that the deputy mayor has indeed made a payment of R10 000. The transaction was made last week and has since been confirmed by our finance division.
“The investigation by the office of the City manager is still ongoing and the payment doesn’t stop that independent process.”
Moya recently admitted to journalists, when questioned over the matter, that she never paid back the R10 000 subsistence allowance.
“The money was paid into the account a week before I pulled out of the trip. During that time, there was a lot of chaos in the city and also a lapse of judgement on my part. The city also never followed up and therefore there was never a refusal to pay back the money.”
Moya said she left Tshwane’s employment four months later and forgot to return the funds to the ailing municipality.
EFF Tshwane chairperson Obakeng Ramabodu wrote to the Tshwane city manager that their allegations have been vindicated and also exposed the corruption of her recent appointment.
He vowed to report the matter to the Public Protector or the Special Investigative Unit due to the serious implications thereof.
“Please be reminded that Section 173(2) of the Municipal Finance Management Act states that the accounting officer of a municipal entity commits an offence if they fail to prevent irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure or corrupt practices in managing the entity’s assets. These issues should be considered seriously as they may impact your oversight responsibilities.”
The EFF in Tshwane said it was aware that Moya paid R10 010.50 to Tshwane.
“We are now awaiting the investigation report.”
It is understood the matter will soon be presented before the council.
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