Months after announcing an investigation into tenders within City Power, City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Herman Mashaba said the findings recently made were damning.
Managing director of City Power Sicelo Xulu took voluntary leave shortly after the investigations started. After the investigation, he was dismissed.
READ: City Power MD on leave pending investigations
Mashaba said the new board that was appointed after the investigation started noted that the contents of the final report showed serious misconduct on the part of the managing director.
“The board would ordinarily institute a disciplinary hearing, however, the managing director’s contract will expire at the end of August and the City would not be able to complete the disciplinary process in that time. For this reason, the board has taken a decision to immediately release the managing director from his contractual responsibilities,” said Mashaba.
City Power’s board met last week after the submission of Size Ntsaluba Gobodo Incorporated’s final forensic report. The full report has not been released to the public yet. Mashaba said the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Service Unit was instructed to study the document for possible criminal charges that may be instituted against numerous officials. “The full contents of the forensic report can not be revealed at this sensitive stage.”
READ: Mashaba not happy with City Power
Tiaan Ehlers, the City’s Executive Director for Environmental and Infrastructure Services, has since been appointed acting managing director while the recruitment process for a new managing director is underway. The process will be completed within the next 60 days.
“Going forward, our priority will be to bring stability to City Power as we finalise the appointment of a new managing director.”
Xulu said, speaking to Randburg Sun, that he is consulting his next step with his lawyers and will comment fully by 5 July.
This is an ongoing story and more information will be published as it is made available.
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