DA to open a criminal case against Mongameli Bobani
The DA has vowed to open a criminal case against Nelson Mandela Bay Mongameli Bobani and the rest of the coalition government for alleged interference in the awarding of tenders.
This comes after The Herald reported that several service delivery projects may have to be delayed as the city plans to take money from those budgets to allocate work to about 600 small business.
Officials were instructed to rework their budgets and find money for the small business owners, who will largely be cleaning drains in the city to the tune of about R18m.
DA Eastern Cape MPL Andrew Whitfield said paying contractors before any work had been done was illegal in terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA).
“No company can therefore be paid without doing the work. Adding to this, these companies referred to are not even listed on the municipality’s supply chain database,” Whitefield said.
It is unclear when the DA would be opening the case.
“The alleged instruction by Bobani, and others within his failing ANC-led coalition of corruption, to take millions of rands from budgets earmarked for infrastructure and engineering, and Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) to forcibly create opportunities and ‘work packages’ for companies, will undermine critical service delivery projects.”
“Taking money from EPWP will deny fair access to jobs to those who are in the most dire need. These actions will take money away from the residents of NMB and hand it over to a connected few,” Whitfield said.
Attempts to reach Bobani for comment were unsuccessful.
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