THE Public Protector, Advocate Busisiwe Mkhwebane, has found the Executive Mayor of the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality, Ray Shweni, as well as some of his fellow ANC councillors, guilty of misappropriating public funds.
The investigation followed after a complaint, lodged by the DA in February 2017.
From Mkhwebane’s report, the following transpired:
. R45 000 of public funds was spent to transport 60 ANC supporters from Cradock to the Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg and back in order to attend the “January 8 Statement”;
. R8 200 was spent on hiring a luxury vehicle to transport the chief whip, Thembisile Bobo, and five other ANC councillors to the same event;
. R72 000 of public funds was misappropriated to transport 180 ANC supporters to a provincial roadshow in Mthatha on January 15, 2017.
Mkhwebane stated in her report that Shweni and other involved ANC councillors were guilty of “irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure.”
As remedial action, a special committee has to be established by IYM speaker, Maria Nortjé, to investigate whether the conduct of Shweni was in breach of the code of conduct for municipal councillors in terms of the Municipal Structures Act.
She ordered municipal manager, Xolela Msweli, to act against the councillors, as well as former municipal manager, Lulamile Jojiyasi, who was involved with approving the irregular expenditure.
Lastly, Mkhwebane ordered Msweli to take action to recover the R125 000 in misappropriated funds, and said that all remedial steps had to take place within 30 days of her report.
“The DA will not rest until the municipality takes action against Shweni and everyone (else) implicated in the public protector’s report and all public funds are recovered,” said Monde Desha, the DA caucus leader in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality in a media statement released on October 10.
