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Founder and President of ActionSA, Herman Mashaba. Photo: Felix Dlangamandla
- Former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba Will Challenge Public Protector, Blessed Mkhwebane Report.
- This comes after the Public Protector made adverse determinations of “irregular and illegal conduct” against him.
- The current COJ administration has welcomed the report.
Former Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg (COJ) Herman Mashaba has said that he will challenge the report of Public Protector (PP) Busisiwe Mkhwebane which made adverse findings against him for “irregular and illegal conduct”.
“On the advice of legal counsel, I will not address any of the issues contained in the report, as these issues have been sufficiently refuted in the past,” Mashaba said in a statement Monday.
“Our approach now proceeds to initiating a full Supreme Court legal review of the Public Protector’s report and seeking a cost order against the Public Protector or his office in this matter.”
This comes after Mkhwebane in a briefing on Monday published 14 reports, in which he made adverse findings in nine of them.
This included Report No. 21 of 2020/21 that investigated allegations of mismanagement related to irregular appointments, irregular salary increases, financial mismanagement, procurement irregularities and conflict of interest in the city of Johannesburg.
READ ALSO | Gordhan says he is vindicated after the court annulled Mkhwebane’s report on the removal of Ivan Pillay
The investigation had its origin in an anonymous complaint filed with the PP office on March 8, 2018.
In the report, the PP made several findings, including:
– Mashaba illegally and irregularly entered the procurement space and requested free services from Lephatsi Financial Services and this constituted a conflict of interest; and- Mashaba allegedly interfered with, or influenced the City, to use the allocation of funds from a youth drug rehabilitation and support program to fund the Field Band Foundation (FBF), which is a non-governmental organization (NGO).
The report is “disappointing” – Mashaba
The former mayor has called the report on his tenure at the COJ disappointing.
“I have maintained my intention to challenge this report after it became clear that our evidence was being overlooked or ignored and when the draft report was leaked.
“I am a firm believer that political leaders should clear their names in the courts of our country, in full scrutiny of the media and the people of South Africa.”
Meanwhile, the current administration has welcomed the findings following its investigation into several complaints raised against the City and its former executive mayor.
“The Public Protector’s findings are welcome and begin to complete the picture of how the City during the previous administration witnessed a spike in irregular spending that reached an all-time high of R 2.4 billion. Lack of consequence management and impunity was the order of business.
“We have always maintained that the rhetoric and public relations of the former mayor were not in tune with reality and objective facts about the performance and stability of the City. This is also supported by the reports of the Auditor General,” said the current Mayor Geoff Makhubo. in a statement Monday.
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