Following the Madlanga commission’s interest in the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), the city’s former mayor, Herman Mashaba, says he is willing to give testimony about the corruption he uncovered during his tenure.
This comes after the commission requested tender documents from the JMPD this week related to procurement. This department has been no stranger to controversy. There have been allegations of corruption in the recruitment of JMPD officers as well as accusations of corruption related to the conduct of the officers.
A tender for the procurement of vehicles used by JMPD has also been a subject of controversy. There were also reports of problems with speed cameras in the city.
The commission wants a full paper trail of the security-related contracts, including bid submissions, evaluation reports, adjudication outcomes and all related correspondence.
Mashaba’s claims of R35bn corruption
Though Mashaba’s party ActionSA is not in power in the City of Johannesburg now, he says he would be happy to assist the commission with the information he came across while he was mayor.
“When I was mayor, I uncovered R35 billion worth of fraud and corruption, and I am on record fighting with the Hawks and with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) for not proceeding with these cases. So, for me, I welcome the commission gazing into Johannesburg. I really can’t wait,” he said.
GFIS
Mashaba said most of the information about what he discovered is with the City of Johannesburg’s Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS). This is a unit he established when he first came into office as mayor to investigate fraud and corruption. This unit has faced some controversy with some political parties demanding its closure.
“Those cases are there, and some of them are as clear as daylight,” he said.
Joburg’s municipal entities
Meanwhile, the DA in Johannesburg has also welcomed the Madlanga commission’s interest in the City of Johannesburg.
“For years, the DA has demanded transparency and accountability in all tenders involving city entities, including Johannesburg Water, City Power, Johannesburg Roads Agency, Johannesburg Social Housing Company, the Metropolitan Trading Company and the Johannesburg Property Company,” said DA caucus leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
She said the city’s security contracts must also be thoroughly investigated.
“Councillors have consistently been obstructed in carrying out oversight, with entities refusing to provide clear answers or withholding critical information.
“This has forced councillors to rely on Promotion of Access to Information Act requests simply to access basic records.
“The DA has already escalated these concerns to the Special Investigating Unit, calling for an investigation into the city’s reliance on water tankers, as well as lifestyle audits for senior officials,” she said,
The commission has already uncovered mass corruption in the City of Tshwane and the City of Ekurhuleni related to security contracts. These discoveries have also led to several arrests in the City of Ekurhuleni.
