Investigation into tracksuits bid on track
More questions were asked regarding the procurement of the tracksuits, specifically who signed for the receipt of the goods. Cllr Rehman issued the following statement in response:
In the article that appeared last week on page five, a paragraph of text citing a response from the Mayor of Newcastle, Afzul Rehman, was erroneously omitted.
The paragraph cited a response from Cllr Rehman, regarding the debacle surrounding the procurement of tracksuits for the SALGA games last year.
The article read:
‘In a further twist, the order form for the tracksuits was allegedly signed by the mayor, Afzul Rehman.’
Due to a human error, the following paragraph was accidentally omitted:
“Of course I did not sign the order form. I don’t deal with administrative issues within the municipality.
I gave a political directive to the municipal manager, as Cllr Kunene (Portfolio Councillor for Community Services, Noma Kunene) raised the issue with me that other councillors were complaining. This was the Friday before the SALGA games, which started Monday,” said Cllr Rehman.
The Newcastle Advertiser would like to issue a formal apology to Cllr Rehman for this omission, as it infringed on his right of response. We would also like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The office of the Public Protector is yet to release details on the outcome of the investigation, which is believed to be ongoing for more than a year.
More questions were asked regarding the procurement of the tracksuits, specifically who signed for the receipt of the goods. Cllr Rehman issued the following statement in response:
“Firstly, I want to voice my dismay that this issue is being used to discredit me. I want to state categorically that I have never signed any order of purchase during my considerable career in council,” he said. “I do not deal with administrative issues. The fact that my staff received the goods is not an issue, as many items received on behalf of councillors are delivered to my office and distributed from there,” he continued.
“The tracksuit issue is only an issue because the Democratic Alliance made it appear that the R171 000 was used solely to purchase tracksuits. This is a misrepresentation of the truth, it (the amount) includes other apparel as well. As far as I am concerned, this issue, and others investigated by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) are storms in a teacup, meant solely to discredit my office, myself and the administration I lead,” he concluded.
Notice was given to the Newcastle council to respond to issues raised by CoGTA investigations by no later than September 18. It is believed the investigations cleared the municipality of several charges, while several more implicated mismanagement and a large amount of irregular expenditure.
The results of said investigations will be made public as soon as CoGTA has made final deliberations after considering responses from council.
