The DA says it is concerned about the lack of integrity among individual members of Johannesburg’s mayoral committee.
Joburg Mayor Dada Morero has another thorn in his Cabinet, after a member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for Group Corporate and Shared Services (GCSS), Sthembiso Zungu, found himself in trouble with the ANC and the law.
Zungu is expected to present himself before the party’s disciplinary committee after he was accused of extortion related to infrastructure projects in southern Johannesburg and of being part of the construction mafia. He has denied both allegations.
Recently, he has been accused of attacking two community activists in his ward. A case of assault has reportedly been opened.
On Tuesday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the party’s integrity commission, chaired by Frank Chikane, had found Zungu guilty of bringing the party into disrepute.
“Zungu is a councillor in Joburg; he has also been involved in a number of things there in Johannesburg, so he was also referred to the integrity commission,” he said.
Mbalula said the party’s disciplinary committee will decide what charges Zungu will face and what sanction he should receive.
He said other prominent ANC members expected to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee include two former ministers and the mayor of Matjhabeng Local Municipality in the Free State.
The Citizen has approached the mayor’s office for comment on matters relating to Zungu. Comment will be added to this article once it is received.
According to the Daily Maverick, Zungu believes there is a plot against him being driven by members of an opposition party.
A mayoral committee of crooks?
Zungu is not the only member of the mayoral committee in Johannesburg to have problems with the law. MMC for Economic Development, Nomoya Mnisi, has also been in the spotlight recently over the alleged assault of a 16-year-old boy from Soweto.
Lobby group AfriForum has also opened a case against the MMC for Community Development, Thapelo Amad, after a video of a person who resembles him went viral on social media. The video shows the person shooting several gunshots in the air during a funeral.
Another MMC, Loyiso Masuku, has previously been linked to a dodgy Covid-19 personal protective equipment tender worth millions of rand that was under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU). She has denied any wrongdoing.
While Development Planning MMC Eunice Mqcina faces no criminal charges, she has been accused of influencing Themba Mathibe’s controversial appointment as Johannesburg Development Agency CEO. The appointment was questioned by opposition parties, who argued he did not have enough experience for the position.
‘Remove them’
DA caucus leader in Johannesburg, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, told The Citizen on Wednesday that her party is concerned about the involvement of members of the mayoral committee in alleged criminal activity.
“The DA formally wrote to Mayor Dada Morero requesting that all MMCs implicated in criminal cases be removed pending the outcome of investigations.
“The situation is deeply concerning, but even more concerning is the mayor’s continued failure to act. The DA has also written to parliament requesting that the mayor be called to account for this failure.
“Mayor Morero has, as usual, ignored correspondence from the official opposition. His continued inaction creates the impression that this conduct is being condoned. It is unfortunate that under his leadership, Johannesburg is increasingly becoming a gangster’s paradise, where politicians appear to believe they are above the law,” said Kayser-Echeozonjoku.