The Rep 6 April 2018

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THE REPRESENTATIVE 6 April 2018
Pay row faces legal redress
Opinions divided on overpaid councillors
AT THE HELM: Enoch
ANDISA BONANI
ENOCH Mgijima Local Municipality
(EMLM) municipal manager (MM) Chris
Magwangqana is set to seek a legal
opinion on the alleged overpayment of
some mayoral committee members.
These were appointed on a full-time
basis without authorisation from
Department of Cooperative Governance
and Traditional Affairs (Cogta MEC,
Fikile Xasa) and were therefore
allegedly overpaid.
The Rep reported (“Overpaid
councillors must pay back money”
March 9) that Cogta spokesman
Mamnkeli Ngam confirmed the amounts
paid to councillors varied because they
fell into different remuneration package
c at e g o r i e s .
“No specific time-frame has been set,
but the councillors should acknowledge
debt and there should be a payment
arrangement entered into.”
Six of the councillors must pay back
the money received between September
2016 and June 2017, while another four
have to refund money dating from
September 2016 to March 2018.
They allegedly started benefiting from
salaries based on their filling the
positions full-time, an arrangement
which had not been approved by Xasa.
Xasa had written to then EMLM
mayor Lindiwe Gunuza-Nkwentsha
indicating which portfolio heads should
be made full-time in May last year. The
letter indicated the municipality was in
no position to employ extra full-time
councillors due to its financial state.
DA councillor Malibongwe Xhelisilo,
who submitted the motion last year,
said during an ordinary council meeting
last Thursday, “It would be unfair for
people in the communities we serve to
pay rates and services while there were
councillors who owe the municipality
half-a-million each.”
Xhelisilo said the councillors should
stop receiving municipal money
“illegally” with immediate effect.
United Front councillor Aaron
Mhlontlo said the MM needed to come
up with a recovery plan which would
indicate how the said councillors would
pay back the money.
EFF councillor Luthando Amos said
the appointed full-time councillors were
approved by council as a whole and if
anyone had to pay back the money, it
should be all the councillors. “I hate to
say this, but we told you so. As the
council who approved this illegal
activity we all need to have certain
amounts of money deducted from our
salaries so that the money is paid in
full.”
ANC councillor Noluthando Nqabisa
said Xasa continuously contradicted
himself when it came to the matter
because he never objected to the
councillors being appointed full-time
when a meeting with him was convened
last year to discuss the matter.
Magwangqana suggested the
situation should remain as is, until he
reported back to council.
Based on calculations by The Rep in
accordance with the councillors’ salar y
packages, the six members who were
later appointed on a full-time basis owe
more that R200000 each, and the four
owe more than R500000 each.
Mgijima
Local
Municipality municipal
manager
Chris
Magwangqana might have
to make some tough
decisions following a call
by Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa
that certain EMLM
councillors must pay back
monies they were
allegedly overpaid
Picture: DAILY DISPATCH
EMLM pledges ‘no
electricity outages’
From page 1
account as failure to do so will result in Eskom
exercising its credit control measures which
include the interruption of power supply.”
Interruptions were now due to start from May
3 if no further payments were made “and no
compelling reason to not proceed is provided”.
Eskom had also extended the public
submissions deadline to April 9.“It should be
emphasised that the disconnection of the bulk
supply to a municipality is implemented as a
last resort.”
He said engagements with affected
municipalities were conducted through Eskom’s
customer executive and that he “was confused”
that the MM said the municipality had found out
about the intent to cut power through media
p l at fo r m s .
PORK LOIN CHOPS (TRAYS ONLY)
BEEF STEW
MUTTON LOIN CHOPS
‘EMLM must probe’
alleged R2.7m fraud
ANDISA BONANI
COPE representative in
the Enoch Mgijima
Local Municipality,
councillor Nomazotsho
Kopolo, has called for a
forensic investigation
into irregular
expenditure which has
cost the cash-strapped
municipality millions in
the quarter ending
December 2017.
The expenditure was
reported by municipal
public accounts
R39.95 KG
R44.95 KG
R79.95 KG
SWEET CHILLY CHICKEN BOEREWORS R49.95 KG
SUPER WHITE SAMP 5KG
R24.95 KG
TOP CLASS SPICE BOWL 400G
POLANA SPAGHETTI 500G
OIL D'LITE 2LT
FROZEN WHOLE BABY CARROTS 1KG
R13.95 EA
R 9.95 EA
R28.95 EA
R21.95 EA
E&OE-WHILE STOCKS LAST-LIMITED QUANTITIES WE RESERVE
THE RIGHT TO WITHDRAW SPECIALS WITHOUT NOTICE
SPECIALS VALID FOR THE 6TH AND 7TH APRIL!!!!
committee chairwoman
(MPAC) Marina Bennett
in an ordinary council
meeting last Thursday.
The report indicated
that R2.7-million was
paid to three service
providers, who provided
cleaning services to the
municipality over a
period of 21-days in
August last year during
a municipal strike.
“Since most of the
staff had downed tools
during this period, there
was no formal
appointment, scope of
work, cleaning
programme or
agreement made with
the service providers.
“The service provider
was verbally appointed
as there were no
officials at supply chain
offices. Initially it was
said only one company
was appointed, but
according to the
municipal finance
records, three different
companies, Desert Fox
Investment, Hazel Moon
Trading and Big Ark
Investment were paid
for doing the same job
and the companies
happen to be owned by
b r ot h e r s .
“We are dealing with
another case similar to
that of the Gupta family
and that is not
acceptable.”
Bennett said acting
director of community
services, Mzoxolo
Dingani, who appointed
the service provider,
had no knowledge of
how the companies
changed from one to
three – even though he
had allegedly
authorised the
p ay m e n t s .
The report indicated
that there were no
systems in place for the
monitoring of fuel usage.
In December alone
R1.1-million was spent
and could not be
accounted for.
Bennet t
recommended there
should be a municipal
fleet depot with fuel
tanks that would supply
fuel in-house to assist
and control usage.
“In Whittlesea, fuel is
filled via tanks and
there is no record of
how much fuel is used.
Hofmeyr and Tarkastad
fill containers to cater
for trucks and tractors.”
Former EMLM mayor
Lindiwe Gunuza-
Nkwentsha was also
implicated in the
irregular expenditure
with a cash advance of
R10 000 which was
allegedly approved by
official Donovan van Wyk
on behalf of Dingani.
Bennett said the
money was requested
for fuel by
PROTECTING YOUR ASSETS
ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE A REMOTE PANIC
NEXT TO YOUR BED AT NIGHT OR ASK
YOUR SECURITY COMPANY TO INSTALL A
STATIC PANIC NEXT TO YOUR BED FOR ANY
EMERGENCIES DURING THE NIGHT.
35 Ebden Street, Komani
Tel: 045 839 7228 | 044 010 0541 | Fax: 045 838 2430
Gunuza-Nkwentsha
when she attended a
graduation ceremony in
Johannesburg from
December 13 to 15 last
y e a r.
“Out of the requested
R10 000, R7786 was
used on food and the
remainder was
refunded to the
municipality. On
another occasion
R4 500 was used for
unproven transport hire
from Reddersburg to
Johannesburg as the
former mayor's car
broke down.”
Kopolo said the Hawks
should be called in to
investigate .
United Front
councillor Aaron
Mhlontlo s u g g e st e d
that the municipal
manager, Chris
Magwangqana, follow
up on the matter or a
forensic investigation
be conducted.
EMLM mayor Sisisi
Tolashe said the
municipality was against
all kinds of corruption
and that she welcomed
the MPAC report.
“Everyone implicated
must be given a chance
to respond to the
allegations made
against them before we
put them to trial in this
council. We need to
allow the report to go
back to MPAC. In 21
days we will report back
to council.”
Responding to
questions from The Rep
regarding the officials,
EMLM spokesman
Fundile Feketshane said
council had its own
internal processes that
deal with its resolutions
and that a statement
addressing the matter
would be made
ava i l a b l e .
"These are sensitive
matters we ought to
observe so that they
become resolved
without being influenced
in any way,” he said.
Security
firm has
tight grip
on crime
LAST Tuesday morning Red Guard
response officers attended to a panic
alarm at a store where they chased a
suspect who had robbed a customer,
operations manager Willie Reynecke told
The Rep.
Unfortunately, they could not apprehend
the suspect but recovered the victim’s bag
which was dropped by the suspect.
On Wednesday night response officers
attended to a panic alarm at a house in
Sandringham where they apprehended a
suspect inside the premises who had
attempted to open the front door. The
suspect was handed over to the police.
In the early hours of Thursday morning
response officers attended to an alarm
activation at the Queenstown Bowling
Club. Their quick reaction time prevented
the suspects from entering the club but
they had already bent the security gate
and moved one of the CCTV cameras,
although they had not entered the
building.
On Friday a person from a lodge on
Maidenhead Farm called the company’s 24
hour control room for help. Response
officers were dispatched and apprehended
a suspect who had allegedly attempted to
poison another person. Response officers
on Saturday morning attended to a panic
alarm at a business in Green Street, where
they apprehended a suspect who had
allegedly assaulted the business owner. He
was handed over the police.
Early on Sunday morning response
officers on patrol in Robinson Road saw a
suspicious-looking person carrying a
security gate. They stopped to enquire and
the suspect dropped the gate and fled.
Response officers on patrol in Zeiler
Street noticed a suspicious-looking person
carrying big black bags. He started
running and dropped the bags when he
saw them. The officers recovered several
thousand Rands worth of goods stolen
from a snack shop nearby. The shop
owner, who is not a Red Guard client, was
very grateful for the return of his stock.
At 2.30am response officers attended to
a panic activated by the security officer at
Chris Hani offices in Bells Road. The officer
reported that two suspects had entered
the premises, grabbed a 25l container of
paint and ran away. The response officers
could not apprehend the suspects but did
recover the paint that was dropped.