The uMshwathi Municipality wants an independent investigation to examine a voice recording it claims implicates a senior ANC leader and councilor in financial irregularities.
This came after the DA and IFP petitioned council speaker Sibongile Mbatha-Ntuli.
The motion was proposed by IFP councilor Mzwandile Mayozi and seconded by DA councilor Vincent Mnkwabe.
The petition asked the council to note serious allegations of sabotage of the municipal budget, defamation of members and management of the municipality, as well as illegal separation of powers.
He further recommended that the board decide on the investigation process as soon as possible and that the people involved be suspended immediately.
Mncwabe said the record which A witness heard, also slandered other officials and advisers.
The motion was sent weeks before a full council meeting, but the Speaker wanted the motion removed, saying it included a voice recording that was not attached. She then decided not to put it on the agenda. There’s no way she didn’t know that voice recording because it was trending on social media when these two were talking bad about other people.
He added that they wanted both the senior manager and the councilor suspended so they would not interfere with the investigation.
IFP group leader Majozi said they were disappointed with the way the issue was handled at the full council.
We left the meeting with the speaker’s ruling without discussing this proposal. The decision was to conduct an urgent independent investigation. We were concerned that our recommendation to remove a senior manager and adviser was ignored.
He said they feared the two would obstruct their evidence if they were not suspended.
Mayor uMshwati Mandla Zodi, however, said the speaker brought the motion to the council and councilors discussed it before passing the resolution.
The board decided to hire an independent investigator to investigate the authenticity of the voice recording and what further steps may be taken after the investigation is completed.
No one has been suspended, and I think that suspension can only be done when a person can be a stumbling block to an investigation, and that will be done by an independent investigator.
DA uMshwathi councilor Ragani Govender said they will be following these proceedings closely and will write to the MEC to have the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs intervene.
