Fired City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for human settlements, Malusi Booi. Picture: Twitter/ @MalusiBooi
The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party says former City of Cape Town human settlements Members of the Mayoral Committee and Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Malusi Booi fails to meet principles met by its own councillors.
In an apparent reversal of the status quo, the state capture accused-ridden party has found a moral high ground over the DA.
Former DA politician Booi is among 10 people – including his ex-wife Nomvuyo Mnyaka and former girlfriend Lorna Ndoda – who are facing charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering and racketeering.
The suspects were arrested in connection with eight City of Cape Town housing tenders worth just over R1 billion. These were allegedly unlawfully awarded to three companies linked to suspected 28s gang boss Ralph Stanfield and his wife, Nicole Johnson.
On Wednesday, the MK party’s Western Cape coordinator Faizel Moosa said his party was “outraged” by the actions of the former DA councillor.
“The MK party stands for transparency, accountability, and good governance,” Moosa said.
“We expect all public representatives to uphold these principles in their service to the people.”
The MK party coordinator said Booi and his co-accused must face the full consequences of their actions.
“This betrayal of the people’s trust will not be tolerated. We call on law enforcement agencies and the courts to do their work in dealing with perpetrators of corruption.”
Furthermore, Moosa said the scandal has tarnished the reputation of the province’s legislature and undermined public confidence in their leaders.
ALSO READ: Billy Downer: Allow more time to bring state capture crooks to book
He said the MK party will “work closely with law enforcement agencies” to bring Booi to book.
“We urge the DA to strengthen its internal mechanisms to prevent any future incidents of corruption or malfeasance prevalent in the DA, public representatives.
“We urge the DA to remain vigilant against corruption and to hold their leaders accountable for their actions.”
Moosa argued that South Africans are in need of public servants to serve the people with integrity and honesty.
The MK party’s statements on Booi come at a time when it is facing no shortage of its own scandals.
Aside from its leader, former president Jacob Zuma, being regarded as the chief culprit responsible for the handing over of state entities to the Guptas, disgraced former judge John Hlophe – now an MK party member of Parliament – is contesting a challenge to his appointment at the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
Hlophe was dismissed as a judge earlier in the year after the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) set aside an earlier JSC decision to clear him of gross misconduct.
The DA also slammed the swearing-in to Parliament of four MK party members who were implicated in state capture, calling it an “insult to the people of South Africa”.
These are former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama, former Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) CEO Lucky Montana, and former minister Mzwanele Manyi.
Former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu also left to join the MK party just as the lid is coming off the VBS Mutual Bank scandal, so to speak.
Former chair of VBS Tshifhiwa Matodzi was last year sentenced to an effective 15 years in jail for his coordinated looting of the bank. He claimed EFF leader Julius Malema and Shivambu were “promised” payments from VBS in favour of the EFF.
Shivambu’s timely departure to the MK party may have played a joint role in distancing himself from these allegations and seeking to further his own political career, analysts told The Citizen.
ALSO READ: Floyd Shivambu may have seen MK party as a ‘haven’ with VBS cloud hanging over him
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