The African National Congress (ANC) in Joburg said Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba is simply trying to divert blame when he sacked the MMC for Finance Dr Rabelani Dagada.
Mashaba announced on the morning of 15 January that Dagada would face an enquiry by the DA’s Federal Legal Commission and appear before the council ethics committee after favouritism relating to tenders within his department allegedly surfaced. Mashaba claimed the forensic investigation found Dagada to have been involved in price-fixing with a service provider to the City and would also face criminal charges.
Dagada maintains that the recent incident is merely a political fight. He said he has been subjected to an unrelenting witch-hunt to remove him from the mayoral committee and to kill his political career and he vehemently denies the allegations made against him.
The ANC said this move was a ‘feeble attempt at sidetracking from the actual issue at hand’.
Party spokesperson Jolidee Matongo said the mismanagement of the City’s finances under Mashaba’s watch is the more pressing matter. The party is calling for the Democratic Alliance to fire the mayor instead.
“Under Mashaba’s leadership the executive management team of the revenue department has changed three times in 12 months, he has destabilised City Power, a key revenue contributor, by dismissing the managing director,” Matongo said.
He continued by claiming the mayor is responsible for weakening the department that deals with the strategic implementation of the City’s plans, which has resulted in the majority of the executive being in acting positions.
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