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Service delivery vehicles unveiled by the Emfuleni Local Municipality at their offices in Vanderbijlpark.
Gauteng CoGTA MEC Jacob Mamabolo has hit back at ActionSA, dismissing their claims of a R16 million fleet procurement process in the Emfuleni Local Municipality as baseless and misleading.
Mamabolo says the allegations by ActionSA’s Funzi Ngobeni reflect a misunderstanding of how government processes work across different spheres.
According to Action SA Mamabolo is allowing Emfuleni to do as it pleases.
“The MEC has permitted a blatant cover-up regarding the R16 million fleet procurement scandal to be tabled as an official response, proving that the provincial government is content to allow the embattled municipality to do exactly as it pleases,” says the party in a statement.
Mamabolo has also cautioned against politicising governance issues ahead of local government elections, insisting that action will only be taken if wrongdoing is proven through proper legal processes.
The MEC’s spokesperson Theo Nkonki says the matter has already been referred to the municipality for an internal investigation.
“The provincial government cannot and will not bully or unlawfully interfere in municipal processes. Following a question raised by the party in the legislature, MEC Mamabolo referred the allegations to Emfuleni Local Municipality and the municipality has since committed to an internal investigation into the matter, and this process must be allowed to unfold in accordance with the law. Cogta cannot pre-empt or second-guess such processes without undermining due process.”
