Nelson Mandela Bay councillor Mongameli Bobani (UDM) has launched a scathing attack against city boss Johann Mettler, accusing him of misconduct, irregularities and misappropriating municipal funds.
Bobani made the allegations in an open letter to mayor Athol Trollip on Tuesday, copied to President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of Cogta Zweli Mkhize, Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Auditor-General Kimi Makwethu as well as leaders of the various political parties represented in the council, the SA Municipal Workers Union and Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa.
Mettler responded that the allegations amount to “criminal defamation”, saying there were lawful procedures to have his claims investigated but Bobani had chosen to circumvent such processes.
In the letter, Bobani claims Mettler “fraudulently signed” an addendum extending the scope of the communications contract with Mohlaleng Media without following the lawful tender processes.
The Mohlaleng contract was the subject of a forensic probe by auditors after it emerged the company was paid R20.8-million when its contract was initially capped at R10-million.
The municipality later lifted the cap giving the company carte blanche to spend as it pleased.
Trollip called for the contract to be frozen after a report in The Herald in September 2016 revealed two political appointees in former mayor Danny Jordaan’s office were paid through this contract.
Bobani claimed Mettler was to blame for mismanaging the city’s money.“The city manager’s actions are nothing else but fraud and corruption which resulted in irregular and fruitless expenditure of approximately R21-million which you never reported to national Treasury and the Auditor General and the SA Police Services,” Bobani claimed.
Trollip, who said he has not had sight of the letter, said the Mohlaleng matter has been handed over to the investigation authorities.
Meanwhile, Bobani believes Mettler should be rapped over the knuckles for appointing former corporate services boss Vuyo Zitumane’s services through her company, Logodisa.
“The city manager’s actions are tantamount to fraud and corruption which resulted in irregular expenditure of R1.3-million having being incurred by the municipality,” he wrote in his letter.
Trollip said council recently exonerated Mettler and Zitumane for being paid through her company.
“Bobani’s accusations are predictable and to be expected.
“Zitumane has laid a charge against him and the case is apparently to be heard later in the year,” Trollip said.
Other claims in Bobani’s letter are that Mettler did not follow the legislation when terminating the contracts of former chief financial officer Trevor Harper and executive director Mod Ndoyana.
“Both these senior managers were offered golden handshakes for their cases not [to] be pursued and disappear without the knowledge and resolution of the municipal council.”
He also takes issue with the axing of former human resources director Chris Jamda, supply chain management director Ndimphiwe Mantyontya and legal services staffer Nobuntu Mgogoshe.
“The UDM has been reliably informed that the municipality is still incurring legal costs on all these cases as the affected municipal employees are now litigating against the municipality merely due to a political purge of black managers by the ruling party.”
Bobani claims R71-million of the metro’s money was misappropriated on the new IT and accounting systems which are not yet fully up and running, saying Mettler failed dismally in implementing the project.
He wants the project investigated.
Bobani added that Mettler was pursuing a political agenda through local law firm Gray Moodliar Attorneys, which has been handling the majority of the high-profile disciplinary cases.Bobani claims over R100-million has been paid to the firm over the last three financial years.
He wants all the allegations tabled before the council within seven days, saying he would also ask Mkhize to establish a special task team of forensic investigators to probe the claims.
In Mettler’s response, he said: “It is not my style to either conduct a trial by media or to participate in one.
“There are established procedures in law to conduct bona fide enquiries or investigations of this nature.
“The fact that such processes are circumvented in this instance speaks volumes to the actual intent and mala fides of those making these scurrilous and baseless allegations.
“The fact that these allegations are made in public certainly amounts to criminal defamation”.
Mettler added that Gray Moodliar Attorneys was appointed by former city manager Mpilo Mbambisa for all the IPTS investigative work.
“The R100-million allegedly paid to them does not hold water as our total expenditure for legal services for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 [financial years] amounts to R106-million,” Mettler said.
- Additional reporting by Siyamtanda Capa