- DA lays charges following tender irregularities.
- DA-led Ekurhuleni will introduce lifestyle audits for senior officials.
- Public money must be spent on service delivery.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) laid criminal charges of corruption against former Ekurhuleni City Manager, Imogen Mashazi and her alleged bankroller, XET Solutions, following reports linking them to tender-related irregularities in the City.
In July 2022, Mashazi accepted a chartered flight to London worth millions of rands. She did not declare the trip.
From the allegations contained in this weekend’s papers – it is now clear why: the money for the flight originated from a company called XET Solutions, which at the time had an active tender in place with the City.
This is part of the billions of public funds that have been looted while service delivery collapses.
There is therefore reason to be concerned that the former City Manager has violated not just the supply chain management policies of the city, but key parts of the Municipal Systems Act, the MFMA, and the Prevention & Combating of Corrupt Activities Act.
What we find highly suspicious, is that the company involved in this matter, XET Solutions, has won tenders from the City to work on vital infrastructure related to electronic bill payments and is therefore involved with the City’s billing system.
In particular, the tender number A-ICT 02-2021, which was awarded when Mzwandile Masina was the Executive Mayor, tasked XET Solutions with the support maintenance, upgrade, expansion and skills transfer of enterprise resource planning solution used by the City.
The system is known as SOLAR, and it is the exact system that was exploited by a criminal syndicate that siphoned R2 billion from the City.
Shortly after Mashazi’s London trip – XET Solutions was awarded another tender, A-ICT 04-2023 to continue working on SOLAR.
We must therefore ask a vital question: was XET Solutions, any of its employees or management somehow involved in the theft of R2 Billion from the City?
And further to this, what role did Imogen Mashazi play in that saga?
What is clear today is that the City under the leadership of the ANC, has become an infested cesspit of criminal activity.
The DA will act. We will ask the difficult questions, and we will hold corrupt officials accountable.
We will do so because we believe in a City that works for all its residents, one that is not for sale to the highest bidder.
Every cent of public money should be spent on delivering services, creating opportunities, and restoring dignity to residents. As Mayor, I will introduce lifestyle audits for senior officials and strengthen transparency measures to ensure public money can be traced, monitored, and protected from abuse.
We call upon residents of Ekurhuleni to act with urgency. Use these revelations as motivation to go out and register to vote for the DA.
This is the only way to clean up the rot. To Get Ekurhuleni Working for all, we must catch and convict criminals. This is a first step in that direction.