Outa CEO Wayne Duvenhage said the decision by PA leader Gayton McKenzie was enough for the Johannesburg mayor to act against Kunene.
Johannesburg Transport MMC Kenny Kunene is under fire for his personal relationships, but detractors want him removed for more conclusive failures.
Kunene admitted to being present at the house of murder-accused Katiso Molefe this weekend when police were executing a warrant of arrest for a separate murder charge.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero is being urged to take action against his MMC as a greater push for accountability comes from public quarters.
Month-long leave
Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie was the first to act, placing his deputy on leave for a period of 30 days.
The short-term window is for the party to conduct an investigation into Kunene’s possible underworld connections, with McKenzie vowing to appoint reputable investigators.
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The DA urged Morero to act decisively and not allow Kunene to go on a “month-long holiday”.
DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku insists that McKenzie’s party-imposed suspension has no legal consequence for the Johannesburg municipality.
“We do not expect more from [Morero], but the law does. Kenny must go, for the preservation of the executive’s stature and Johannesburg.”
“Hanging out with suspected murderers and bringing the entire executive into disrepute is punishable, and Morero must act,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.
Kunene’s excuse
Morero’s spokesperson, Chris Vondo, told The Citizen on Wednesday that the mayor had been in meetings all morning and that the subject had not yet been raised.
Meanwhile, PA spokesperson Steve Motale said the party would engage with its coalition partners to decide on a way forward, telling The Citizen that “it shouldn’t take long”.
Kunene and the party are doubling down on the excuse that the MMC was helping a member of the media in securing an exclusive interview with Molefe.
Motale was questioned about the incident on 702 on Wednesday morning, where he said the article could not be published as the journalist had his material confiscated.
Molefe and three other men appeared in court this week in connection with the 2022 murder of a popular DJ.
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Coincidentally, all four were currently out on bail in the 2024 case involving a businessman from Vereeniging.
Police stated this week that the weapons used in the 2022 incident have been linked to at least 10 other high-profile murders.
Poor transport record
However, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenhage said there was not enough clarity around Kunene’s relationship with Molefe to immediately axe him.
“If he is involved in crime or is definitely linked to the underworld in a way that implicates him in crime, then that has to be proven first and not taken at face value,” Duvenhage told The Citizen.
“I am not standing up for Kunene for one minute, I am saying we must be very careful and not just have knee-jerk reactions.”
Asked whether Morero was compelled to act on Kunene’s situation, he said McKenizie’s actions had “left the door open” for Morero to make a decision.
“I think he has got an invitation to do so because the Patriotic Alliance leader himself has already made a decision to place Kunene on leave,” said Duvenhage
“What we are concerned about is Kunene’s appointment in the first place and his conduct at the road agency,” noted the Outa CEO.
Duvenage said Kunene was linked to enough wrongdoing, as he has previously been accused of manipulating procurement contracts and appointing individuals to key positions based on his personal preference.
“[Kunene] should be charged on the things that are going to have him removed properly, not just for his links to Molefe, but for his conduct in general. He should be removed,” Duvenhage concluded.
‘SA deserves better’
The arrest of Molefe and his alleged accomplices was the result of an investigation by the political killings task team made infamous by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi.
Entrepreneur and Moja Love CEO Aubrey Tau added his voice to those condemning Kunene’s links to a twice-accused murder suspect.
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Tau labelled his excuse as a way to sanitise his image and fool the public by providing contradicting versions of events on different media platforms.
“It cannot be that the MMC is associated with criminals directly or indirectly. South Africa deserves honourable leaders and Kenny Kunene cannot be seen as one,” stated Tau.
“Police should immediately ensure that Kenny Kunene’s phone and whereabouts are investigated and, if necessary, he is arrested and faces the full might of the law,” he concluded.
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