Kenny Kunene sees red over leaked personal info, sues DA councillors

While residents of Johannesburg are concerned with issues of service delivery councillors in the City of Johannesburg are engaged in a fight over their personal information being displayed on social media

Case opened at the Sandton police station

The City of Johannesburg confirmed that MMC for Transport Kenny Kunene had opened a criminal case against three Democratic Alliance (DA) councillors who allegedly posted his contact details on social media platforms.

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Kunene said this posed a security risk for him and exposed his family to possibilities of attacks and theft.

“It is the severity of their crime (violation of the POPI Act) that has left me with no option but to ask for the intervention of law enforcement agencies,” Kunene said in a statement.

According to Kunene his personal cellphone number and personal e-mail address were posted on social media platforms.

“This has not only severely compromised my personal safety but has also left me vulnerable to identity theft by fraudsters. The theft and misuse of my personal information by these three DA councillors is a blatant breach of the POPI Act,” he said.

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The mayor’s information was also leaked

According to Kunene he was not the only City official whose personal information was leaked to the public. He said the mayor of Johannesburg Kabelo Gwamanda, and the City Manager Floyd Brink were also victims of this “information crime”.

Kunene said while he understood that he and his fellow councillors should be focused on service delivery issues, he said he was compelled to lay criminal charges against the councillors.

“Opening a criminal case against my council colleagues is a decision I did not take lightly, as we, as councillors, should be focusing all our energies and time on ensuring that much needed services are rendered to residents of the City of Johannesburg, who we serve in the council and who expect nothing from us but service delivery,” he said.

DA responds

On the other hand, DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said Kunene and the Secretary to Council gave the contact details to all councillors.

“He should have not given his personal details if he did not want to. But he is a public official residents should be able to hold him accountable,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.