Graft in Kouga municipality to be investigated

16 November 2005

Sipho Masondo

THE Special Investigation Unit has launched a preliminary investigation into allegations of graft in the Kouga municipality.

The move was triggered by tip-offs about widespread corruption and maladministration received from concerned members of the public.

Matters under investigation include payments of more than R400 000 to four municipal officials after council minutes had been altered.

A Deloitte and Touche forensic report revealed that the officials had tampered with the minutes to receive performance bonuses which they did not deserve.

Another matter under investigation is the municipality’s controversial land alienation programme.

Since 2003, the municipality has been trying to sell some 27 pieces of land, but the process has been so fraught with problems that twice the sales have had to be reversed.

Also to be probed, is reaction to the Nkwinti report. In 2003 then local government and housing MEC Gugile Nkwinti commissioned an investigation into the municipality’s finances after revelations that the municipality had lent 10 councillors money to purchase cars.

The report suggested that the law had been flouted in many respects and that councillors had failed to provide justification for using municipal funds. Two years down the line, the municipality is yet to implement the report’s recommendations.

Other matters include nepotism and councillors receiving bribes.

Last week, the unit’s project manager, Frank Vos, spent a few days in Jeffreys Bay interviewing business people and municipal officials.

“The idea of visiting Kouga was to gather the evidence. I interviewed the mayor (Robbie Dennis) and municipal spokesman Phumzile Oliphant. They were willing to co-operate.”

He said he would discuss his visit with his superiors and see if the situation called for them to seek a formal investigation proclamation from President Thabo Mbeki’s office.

However, Dennis said he had no knowledge of Vos, and that he had never spoken to him. “That’s news to me,” he said when The Herald asked him if he had spoken to Vos.

Oliphant acknowledged speaking to Vos. “He was here and asked me a few questions. I co-operated with him,” he said.

Source: The Herald

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