Testimony before the Madlanga Commission has laid bare a scramble for control of public money inside Tshwane’s ANC-led coalition.
English and Afrikaans soundbites by Ald Cilliers Brink
Evidence led today implicates not only the City’s CFO, Gareth Mnisi, but also two coalition partners — ActionSA and the EFF — in attempts to rig a major security tender.
These are fresh allegations against Mnisi, entirely separate from those previously raised by the ANC, and they justify a separate, independent investigation.
What is now clear is that the fight over Mnisi’s position has nothing to do with principle. It is about tenders and control of resources.
On the one hand, the ANC’s Deputy Mayor and MMC for Finance, Eugene Modise, is already benefitting from an existing security tender awarded to Triotic Protection Services.
On the other, ActionSA and the EFF appear to have tried to muscle in on the next contract. WhatsApp messages presented to the Commission point to meetings between Mnisi and representatives of these parties in what appears to be an unlawful attempt to influence the tender outcome.
The DA has consistently warned about the irregular extension of the current security tender, as well as the City’s failure to timeously prepare a new tender.
The emerging evidence suggests that delays in issuing a new tender may be the result of political infighting between the ANC, EFF and ActionSA over access to these contracts.
Gareth Mnisi must be summoned to testify under oath so that the full truth can be established. At the same time, the City Council must be formally notified of the allegations against Mnisi.
The City Manager, Johann Mettler, must immediately initiate a full investigation into the security tender, its extension, and any political interference.
Tshwane residents deserve a government that protects public money — not one that fights over who gets to loot.