Durban — Opposition parties in eThekwini have called for an external body to investigate allegations that the City committed to carry the KwaZulu-Natal ANC Women’s League’s expenses for its conference at the Durban International Convention Centre.
It is alleged that the municipality agreed to pay the ICC close to R5 million, expenses incurred by the ANCWL conference that took place from August 4-6.
Leading the charge was African Democratic Change (ADeC) founder Visvin Reddy, who is also a councillor in the municipality. Reddy said there must be an external investigation into the matter since the City’s investigations arm, the City Integrity and Investigations Unit, cannot be regarded as an independent body.
“My take on the future of the investigation surrounding the ICC and Women’s League saga is to take this investigation outside of the municipality so that the rot will not be covered by ANC-appointed administrators.
“We need a truly independent investigation that will get to the bottom of this saga and expose any corrupt activities that have been going on behind closed doors.
“We need to put an end to the use of ratepayer funds for party events and ensure that accountability and transparency prevail at all levels of our government,” said Reddy.
He warned that the very senior officials who were implicated would write off this debt because they are the same ones who would control the outcomes of internal investigations.
Weighing in on the matter, DA caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa said he fully concurred with Reddy for an external investigation into the matter.
He said history has taught that CIIU reports take a long time and if they get finished are not acted upon. He said the CIIU needs a complete overhaul or it must investigate minor cases and leave corruption matters to external bodies like the Special Investigation Unit.
The IFP’s Mdu Nkosi asked if the City management was truthful when it said it did not know anything and why it charged the official who signed the memorandum of understanding committing the municipality to pay for the expenses.
He said the City must also open criminal charges and suspend the officials involved pending the completion of the investigation.
He also supported an external investigation, saying the IFP did not believe in self-investigation as the CIIU directly reports to the same people who may be involved in the corruption.
The call was also backed by the EFF. Party caucus leader Themba Mvubu said his party fully supported the call.
ActionSA, which first raised the matter a few days after the conference, scoffed at the other parties’ call, saying it was an opportunistic move since they had been quiet all along.
The party provincial chairperson Zwakele Mncwango challenged the parties not to make noise only and to act like he did.
He said calling for an external investigation was not enough but somebody must take the initiative and write to President Cyril Ramaphosa to issue a proclamation for the Special Investigation Unit to probe the matter.
He said his party wrote to the CIIU because it has the mandate to investigate such matters, adding that he would meet the unit today (on Monday) to make the party’s representation on the matter.
He further challenged all the parties to support his motion to dissolve the ICC board to show their seriousness.
During the picket on Thursday, ActionSA gave the ICC board seven days to lay criminal charges or face removal by the council through the party’s motion.
In a statement the City recently issued, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda denied the allegations, challenging opposition parties to submit proof.
He accused the parties of wanting to grab headlines for frivolous allegations.
The City’s head of communications, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, said the CIIU proactively launched an investigation into the matter in August after media allegations surfaced, adding that it did not investigate because of opposition parties.
“We wish to make it categorically clear that the City Integrity and Investigations Unit is not investigating the matter because of opposition parties, but the CIIU proactively investigates any issue that calls into question the City’s integrity without fear or favour, as it was done in this instance.”
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