VANDERBIJLPARK – The Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) has welcomed the arrest of the former Fleet Manager of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) in connection with allegations of fraud and corruption involving a municipal tender valued at approximately R16m.
PAC Secretary General Apa Pooe said in a statement that the arrest confirms what their party has consistently warned about for years: that corruption within Emfuleni Local Municipality has become deeply entrenched.
This comes after the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team arrested the 42-year-old former employee.
According to police, the arrest relates to the irregular awarding and implementation of a municipal vehicle fleet tender.
A service provider was allegedly paid approximately R16m in full to deliver 18 municipal vehicles, including UD trucks and bakkies.
“The PAC has repeatedly raised these concerns both inside Council and in public, including voting against budgets which, in our view, failed to confront this culture of corruption.”
“The arrest of one individual must not mark the end of this investigation. Corruption of this scale is rarely the work of a single person. We therefore call upon the Hawks, the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to identify, arrest and prosecute every official, contractor and accomplice involved. The full might of the law must be brought to bear against all those responsible,” said Pooe.
PAC said the developments also renew questions surrounding the tragic murder of Martha Mani Rantsofu, an acting municipal accountant who lost her life earlier this year.
“While no direct link has yet been established between her murder and this particular corruption case, it is increasingly evident that she was working in a municipality plagued by corruption. The possibility that her death was connected to her commitment to accountability must be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
Pooe said the people of Emfuleni deserve a municipality founded on integrity, transparency and accountability.
“The PAC will continue to expose corruption wherever it exists and will stand firmly behind every effort to restore honest and ethical governance,” he said.
The former fleet boss is set to appear briefly at Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court today.
