Note to Editors: Please find attached a soundbite by Cllr Ondela Kepe
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling on the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to act swiftly to finalise its report on fraud, corruption, and organised crime related to the implementation of the 2020 Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality streetlight contracts.
In a reply to questions asked by National DA Spokesperson for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (GoGTA), Marina van Zyl MP, the CoGTA Minister, Velenkosini Hlabisa, confirmed that the SIU has established that the procurement undertaken by the Municipality regarding this tender was irregular and must be set aside.
The Minister indicated that several officials from the Municipality failed to adhere to the Supply Chain Management regulations, finance policies and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). The investigation also established instances of fraud and Contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act and contravention of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
This is a shocking indictment of the systemic failure of leadership and accountability in the Metro. Residents all over Nelson Mandela Bay have lived under a veil of darkness, not because of crime or vandalism alone, but because public funds that were meant for streetlight infrastructure were mismanaged and did not translate into effective service delivery.
Our communities have been left without streetlighting for years, making ordinary activities like walking children to school, visiting a neighbour, or returning home after work a daily risk rather than a basic right. Residents have been left feeling unsafe and vulnerable to crime in their own neighbourhoods.
The DA will submit a motion to the office of the Nelson Mandela Bay Speaker requesting that:
- Every official implicated in fraud, corruption, or maladministration be suspended, investigated and be subject to appropriate disciplinary measures. In addition, where evidence of criminal conduct exists, every official and implicated contractor or intermediary be criminally charged and prosecuted without exception.
- All irregular payments and public funds lost through corruption be recovered and returned to the City.
A DA majority government with a zero-tolerance stance to corruption will ensure that the Municipality has the correct internal processes in place to address corruption and ensure those involved face consequences. It should never be necessary for an external organisation to uncover and address the rot.
The residents of Nelson Mandela Bay deserve a municipality that is corruption free and delivers the most basic of services and the DA will do all in our power to ensure that this investigation is not derailed by those who are implicated.
Together we can get Nelson Mandela Bay working again.