According to reports, Mashazi’s trip to London can also be linked to controversial businessman Ze Nxumalo.
The DA in the City of Ekurhuleni has laid corruption charges against the metro’s former City Manager, Imogen Mashazi.
The DA opened a case at the Germiston police station on Monday after weekend media reports revealed that a service provider to the City of Ekurhuleni has paid for a R3.5 million trip to London on a private jet. The trip was described as a shopping spree.
Mashazi has refused on a number of occasions to disclose who had funded the trip, and she has insisted that funds from the municipality, which she led, were not used for this trip.
But according to reports, a businessperson who was on the flight with her scored a massive tender with the City of Ekurhuleni after returning from that trip.
According to reports, controversial businessman Ze Nxumalo funded the London trip through one of his companies, but he has denied this, saying that his company only received quotations from the person who funded the trip.
Tenders, flights and a shopping spree
DA mayoral candidate, Khathutshelo Rasilingwane, alleged on Monday that Mashazi has violated a number of laws and abused her powers as City Manager.
“Mashazi accepted a chartered flight to London worth millions of rands. She did not declare the trip. From the allegations contained in this weekend’s papers – it is now clear why: the money for the flight originated from a company called XET Solutions, which at the time had an active tender in place with the city.
“This is part of the billions of public funds that have been looted while service delivery collapses. There is therefore reason to be concerned that the former City Manager has violated not just the supply chain management policies of the city, but key parts of the Municipal Systems Act, the MFMA, and the Prevention & Combating of Corrupt Activities Act,” said Rasilingwane.
XET Solutions
The City of Ekurhuleni has featured prominently on the Madlaga Commission, with evidence coming out of that commission revealing that the City’s funds were being looted in a sophisticated network of corruption and collusion.
XET Solutions has won tenders from the city to work on vital infrastructure related to electronic bill payments in the City of Ekurhuleni.
“In particular, the tender number A-ICT 02-2021, which was awarded when Mzwandile Masina was the Executive Mayor, tasked XET Solutions with the support, maintenance, upgrade, expansion and skills transfer of the enterprise resource planning solution used by the city.
“The system is known as SOLAR, and it is the exact system that was exploited by a criminal syndicate that siphoned R2 billion from the city.
“Shortly after Mashazi’s London trip – XET Solutions was awarded another tender, A-ICT 04-2023 to continue working on SOLAR. We must therefore ask a vital question: was XET Solutions, any of its employees or management somehow involved in the theft of R2 Billion from the City? And further to this, what role did Imogen Mashazi play in that saga?” she asked.
Corruption in Ekurhuleni
Rasilingwane said the city under the leadership of the ANC, has become an infested “cesspit” of criminal activity.
“The DA will act. We will ask the difficult questions, and we will hold corrupt officials accountable. We will do so because we believe in a city that works for all its residents, one that is not for sale to the highest bidder.
“Every cent of public money should be spent on delivering services, creating opportunities, and restoring dignity to residents.”