The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has called on the municipality to be transparent and to urgently table the Pikoli forensic report detailing alleged municipal maladministration before council.
Metro bosses should also hand over the report to the Hawks so that the organisations and individuals accused of squandering taxpayers’ and ratepayers’ money can be brought to justice, said Chamber CEO Kevin Hustler today.
“We urge the mayor that the full report be tabled before council as a matter of urgency, and that it also be handed over to the Hawks for further investigation, as was done with the Kabuso report,” said Hustler. “We are concerned over the inaction by the metro, with the report sitting with the metro leadership since March and not having been tabled before council.
“One of the key areas of concern for Bay business and possible investors is the lack of good governance within the municipality, which is evident in the findings of not only the Pikoli report which were published in the media this week, but also the Kabuso forensic report which was made public early last year.”
Hustler said the findings of the report only served to reinforce negative perceptions of the city and shun investors, stifling the business growth which was desperately needed amid a bleak economic outlook and rising job losses. “Business is negatively impacted because the cost of this irregular expenditure by the metro is built into our rates and taxes. The misspent funds are not being used for service delivery, so in the meantime our city crumbles while an elite few enrich themselves unlawfully, with impunity,” Hustler said.
“At a national level the president is calling for a clampdown on corruption, but on the ground this all seems like lip service because there is no remedial action taken by the municipality and no punitive action taken against the individuals involved.
“This is clear from the lack of visible actions by the metro following the release of the Kabuso forensic report. Government and the metro needs to send a clear message that crime doesn’t pay and that abuse of the public purse will not be tolerated.
“In all instances there appears to have been gross maladministration and wasteful spending of taxpayers’ money without the requisite reporting to the relevant municipal directorates, and without those senior officials being held accountable for the misspending of public funds.
“The Chamber would also like to see the individuals and companies which have been inappropriately enriched by public funds brought to justice.”
Alan Straton
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