The Emfuleni Democratic Alliance (DA) is pleased to see that our pressure has forced the resignation of Emfuleni Supply Chain Manager, Jason Mkhwane.
Mkhwane was compromised due to his full-time employment as Regional Secretary of the ANC whilst remaining an employee at Emfuleni Local Municipality.
This resulted in his conspicuous absenteeism from his work at the municipality, which extended to over a year and remained unaccounted for.
At a full council sitting, the DA asked where Mkhwane was, and the council was informed by the then mayor that Mkhwane was on sabbatical leave.
However, other reports have claimed that Mkhwane stated that he was on annual leave.
This duplicity casts doubt on what the truth is and hints at an attempt to conceal his real whereabouts.
The DA queried, both in council and at Section 80 committee meetings, Mkhwane’s persistent non-attendance, with a growing suspicion that he was unavailable due to rather attending his political appointment.
After the continuous interrogation by the DA, he was then referred to the ANC Integrity Committee, which found him culpable, thus leading to his resignation as a municipal employee.
However, responsibility for this irregularity lies with the ANC, as they turned a blind eye until the DA brought the issue to light, permitting him to receive compensation despite making no measurable contribution in his role as a municipal employee.
We will take the matter further because the DA contends that he must pay back any salary he earned from Emfuleni whilst serving as Regional Secretary, because he was clearly not fulfilling his municipal duties, as he was fully employed elsewhere and not present for work for over a year.
To avoid a conflict of interest and maintain public trust, the DA determined that Mkhwane cannot serve two masters. This finally separates his political and government interests.