City opens criminal case over tender

buffalo city municipality (bcm) has laid criminal charges against its former director of community services and suspended two officials for their roles in the waste tender scandal.



in a report tabled at council earlier this week, acting municipal manager vuyani lwana said letters of intention to suspend the officials were sent on november 14.

they were officially suspended last wednesday after the period to appeal the city’s decision had lapsed. the municipality refused to release their names and the dispatch was unable to confirm their identities yesterday.

it is understood that a criminal case was also opened against wendy maqekeza-galada shortly afterwards and is currently being investigated by the commercial crimes unit of the south african police service.

police superintendent mtati tana confirmed that a case of fraud had been opened.

“the suspect has not been arrested as the case is still being investigated,” he said. no court date has been scheduled at this stage.

efforts to contact maqekeza-galada for comment were unsuccessful . the suspensions and action against maqekeza-galada come more than two months after a special multi- party committee made strong recommendations against these officials for their roles in the controversial multimillion-rand waste management tender saga.

gobodo forensic and investigative accounting was tasked by council earlier this year to investigate the awarding of waste management contracts worth r33 million without council knowledge.

in its final report, tabled at a council meeting in august, gobodo highlighted a number of irregularities .

council then set up a multi-party committee to review the report.

the committee recommended investigations be carried out for disciplinary purposes.

it also recommended the “unfair/ irregular practice/maladministration against the named officials” be reported to the police.

municipal manager gaster sharpley was placed on precautionary suspension last month over the awarding of the tenders.

the suspension was allegedly for “flouting policies” that resulted in the lucrative tenders being awarded.

there has, however, been no word about further action against sharpley. the municipality is said to have 60 days from the date of suspension to act against a suspended official.

council this week requested speaker luleka simon to deal with the matter.

democratic alliance (da) councillor annette rademeyer asked when mayor zintle peter would be officially reprimanded.

simon said this would be done at the last council meeting of the year, which would take place on december 9. peter wasn’t present at tuesday’s meeting.

da caucus leader john cupido said it was “fantastic” the city had decided to press charges against maqekeza-galada.

“if they weren’t going to do it, we would have.”

cupido said although he was happy action was finally being taken against the implicated officials, it was important to “clean up and close the loopholes in the tender process”.

“there is so much scope for corruption,” he said.

the da is in the process of reviewing the city’s tender process and comparing it to other municipalities.

after this has been completed, they will make recommendations to council.