Time for action: Holding Helen Botes accountable in Joburg

Recurring central Joburg fires offer an opportunity to the new council speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu, and her party, ActionSA, who have pledged to hold the executive to account.

They cannot hold executives to account without being booted out by the ANC, which has the numbers to govern without them. The executives who should be held to account – and their accomplices – are embedded in a corrupt, dysfunctional, bankrupt system.

Joburg bankrupt? That’s what data scientist Michael O’ Donovan says in BusinessLive, where he graphically illustrates the decline in “real” revenue for City Power, for example. The city will not recover from bankruptcy while kleptocrats remain in office.

How to get rid of them? Part one of retired judge Sisi Khampepe’s report on the inner-city blaze that killed 76 people provides ample material for any speaker who genuinely wants to hold the executive to account.

Released on 5 May, the report highlights the roles of the MMCs for human settlements and for public safety. Their political “responsibility or lack of oversight helped to bring about the disaster” that was Usindiso.

ALSO READ: Usindiso fire: Ball is in Lesufi and company’s court

The report also fingers accounting officers of city entities, namely the Joburg Property Company (JPC), Joburg Water, City Power, and Pikitup, who “must be subjected to disciplinary processes where there is evidence of contraventions”.

If these executives had performed their duties, the Usindiso fire tragedy could have been avoided, the report says.

Helen Botes, controversial chief executive of the troubled JPC, gets special mention: “The board of directors of the JPC must consider taking appropriate action against Ms Botes … for the total disregard of managing the Usindiso building, despite knowledge of the disastrous state since at least 2019.”

On 1 December, 2022, when an ActionSA MMC oversaw JPC, Botes was suspended in connection with an investigation into an allegedly illicit payment of R27 million.

That investigation was thwarted during Dada Morero’s brief previous term as mayor. Botes was reinstated when the ANC/EFF/PA/Al Jama-ah coalition ousted DA mayor Mpho Phalatse in February last year.

ALSO READ: Usindiso: City of Joburg’s GFIS should shoulder responsibility for tragedy

Botes’ return saw an entirely new JPC board, under the chairmanship of Dali Mpofu. At the time (March 2023), News24 reported that “the JPC has been a hotbed of corruption over past years with the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) making damning findings against Botes and other officials,” related to Covid deep-cleaning contracts.

You may recall that Covid cleaning contracts were favourites among cadres, including a former education MEC who is now premier.

Since her return, Botes has been involved in further controversies, including the closing of Joburg’s Metro Centre, decanting its occupants under expensive leases and a planned revamp at an additional cost of at least R12 billion.

ANC cadre connections in this grand scheme are vast and Botes is well protected.

Here then is a challenge for ActionSA and its speaker: if you hold just one executive to account, make it Botes. Light a fire under the Joburg Property Company.

ALSO READ: City of Joburg official arrested for allegedly soliciting bribe to reduce water, lights bill

If you do that effectively, I’ll eat my words – by consuming a print version of this column.