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Statement by Executive Mayor Athol Trollip on the freezing of the Mohlaleng Media contract pending a full investigation

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In a statement released today the Mayor said:

I have today asked the City Manager to freeze the Municipality’s contract with Mohlaleng Media with immediate effect, and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the deal.

Last week I requested a report on the terms of agreement and total expenditure relating to the contract with Mohlaleng Media, which was first signed on the 16th October 2014.

I was disturbed to learn that the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality had spent in excess of R21 million on this contract, some of which was allegedly used to remunerate political appointments under the former administration.

This bears all the hallmarks of an irregular contract.

I believe that there are adequate grounds to immediately freeze this contract and call for this immediate and urgent investigation to safeguard the institution and its reserves.

This administration will not tolerate irregular, wasteful or unnecessary expenditure, in any form, and any contract that is alleged to have facilitated any expenditure of this nature will be fully investigated and scrutinised.

Thank you.

Cllr Athol Trollip
Executive Mayor

Background:

The city initially awarded a R10-million tender for media and communications services to Mohlaleng Media over a three-year period, with the company now having an unlimited cap.

Over halfway through the contract, the metro has already dished out more than R20-million to Mohlaleng to supplement the work of the city’s communications department.

Their contract ends in December next year.

Included in the payments to Mohlaleng is an amount of R771 552 paid to two media specialists – Grant Pascoe and Vukile Pokwana – over five months to “beef up” the communications unit.

Pokwana is a former journalist, while Pascoe is a former DA heavyweight in the City of Cape Town who defected to the ANC in recent years.

Editor:

Do yourself a favour and Google Mohlaleng Media (CLICK HERE if you are too lazy to Google Mohlaleng Media yourself).

Now marvel at the dingbat who handed out R20 Million of ratepayer money to a company that does not appear to have a web site NOR a Facebook page, NOR a Twitter Account but does appear to have been in deep sh!t after being named in a law suit along with Nelson Mandela’s daughter, Zindzi, who was sued in May 2011 for more than R50 million in an American court after a deal to bring the world’s biggest boxing match to South Africa collapsed.

At the time Los Angeles-based boxing promoter Duane Moody claimed that Mandela approached him to help secure arguably the biggest fight in boxing history, a bout between Floyd Mayweather Junior and Manny Pacquiao, tentatively scheduled for November 2011 at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. The fight would have formed part of Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday celebrations and would have been announced at a press conference on his birthday on July 18.

Moody claims that negotiations were at an advanced stage but that, at the last minute, Mandela could not come up with the cash she promised.

Zinzi Mandela was named as a consultant for Johannesburg based Mohlaleng Media, whose CEO at the time was Mbuso Thabethe.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.