SACP Gauteng Province reiterates its call for Public Protector to conclude her investigation into suitability of scandal-prone Herman Mashaba to hold office as Mayor of City of Johannesburg
23 May 2018
The South African Communist Party (SACP) Gauteng Province is becoming more concerned with total collapse of good governance in the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Metropolitan Municipality under Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba.
Since taking office of Mayor through an unholy collaboration with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in 2016, Mashaba has been jumping from one scandal to another leading to an unprecedented collapse of governance structures in the City. Mashaba who seems to mistake the office of Mayor for a personal fiefdom, has been dishing out tenders to his friends and associates, flouting the Municipal Finance Management Act.
In the year that he has been at the helm of Gauteng`s economic hub, Mashaba has dragged the finances of the City to unprecedented lows and this will impact the working class and the poor. In just one year as Mayor, Mashaba has single handedly ensured that COJ is amongst the worst performing municipalities with regards to financial sustainability, according to governance ratings agency Ratings Afrika and Compuscan.
In just one year the scandal-prone Mashaba has hired his wife`s company without following proper process and awarded his favourite Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Field Band Foundation R11 million in tax payers` money. Recently Mashaba has been shown to be covering up corruption in the awarding of R29 million tender to a company named Neo Africa Solutions JV. It has also emerged that this company that was awarded the tender commenced with work in the City despite there being no contract and the fact that their bid was way above the R15 million cap that the Metro was willing to pay.
While the Mayor is deeply entrenched in scandals and corruption, many streets in the City are littered with rubbish, potholes and overgrown grass. We are deeply concerned that whilst Mashaba is spared more days in "office", it is the residents of Johannesburg, especially those in working class communities, who are at the receiving end of the incompetence and complete collapse of governance in the City of Johannesburg.
We therefore reiterate our call for the Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane to promptly, swiftly and decisively without fear or favour publish her findings following our request for her office to investigate Mashaba`s suitability to hold office as Mayor of the City of Johannesburg.
We are deeply concerned that the continued delays and silence of the Public Protector perpetuates the erosion of good, ethical and clean governance in the City of Johannesburg.
Issued by the SACP Gauteng province
Contact:
Jacob Mamabolo - SACP Gauteng Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 082 884 1868
