In the September council meeting, Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell and the whip of council Khetha Shandu submitted a motion calling on the speaker of the council to initiate a process of lifestyle audits for all councillors.
This motion, based on the Councillor Code of Conduct, contained in Schedule 7 of the Municipal Structures Amendment Act of 2021, passed with an overwhelming majority and now paves the way to stem the rot of corruption, which has become endemic in local government.
All councillors in the City of Ekurhuleni will be subjected to a lifestyle audit, done in two phases.
The first phase, to be conducted in the next six months, will start with the executive mayor, speaker, the whip of the council, members of the mayoral committee, chairpersons and the leaders and chief whips of all political parties.
Once this process is concluded, all remaining councillors will undergo this vetting process.
If the conduct of a councillor is found to be in breach of the Councillor Code of Conduct, the speaker will refer the matter to the city’s ethics and integrity committee for further investigation and scrutiny.
Thereafter, a report will be submitted to the council and the office of the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) for further action.
“As we have witnessed with state capture, the tentacles of corruption know no bounds,” said Campbell.
“If left unchecked, they squeeze their way into the pockets of compliant politicians – always at the expense of service delivery.
“These lifestyle audits will go a long way in the fight against corruption and holding politicians to account.”
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