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Criminal charges laid against Ndlambe Municipal Manager

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Dear MyPE

On 13 July 2020, we opened a criminal case against Ndlambe Municipal Manager, Rolly Dumezweni, at the Port Alfred Police Station.

The case was opened in terms of s171 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) , which makes certain acts and omissions a criminal offence.

This case arises from the judgement against Ndlambe Municipality in the Grahamstown High Court last week, which found that the awarding of a tender to Quality Filtration Systems for the installation of a reverse osmosis plant was unlawful and irregular. The judgement further fingered Dumezweni as the key official responsible for amending and awarding the tender. It also highlighted the irregular (and frankly illegal) pre-payment of R20 million to QFS, before a contract had been signed. Only Dumezweni would have been in a position to authorize this.

In terms of the MFMA, the municipal manager has a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to prevent irregular, unauthorized, and fruitless and wasteful expenditure. Clearly he did not do so in this instance.

What is particularly damning, is that Dumezweni is an advocate of the High Court, who earned his degree and did his pupillage while in the full time employ of the municipality (at the expense of the municipality, who did not have use of his time while he was undertaking this program). As an officer of the court, his actions in this case leave a sour taste in the mouth, and he must be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

In the meantime, the DA caucus in Ndlambe will be submitting a motion to Council calling for Dumezweni’s immediate suspension and a full internal investigation into this matter.

The DA will not tolerate corruption, maladministration or financial misconduct on its watch. Municipal finances must be utilized to benefit the residents of the municipality, not to benefit the connected few. We will not rest until all those responsible for this debacle are brought to book.

Regards

Cllrs Sikhumbuzo Venene and Khanyisa Daweti
DA Ndlambe Caucus

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