City denies corruption allegations

THE City has denied allegations of corruption contained in a confidential dossier that Cape Coloured Congress councillor Fadiel Adams used to lay charges against officials at the Cape Town central police station this week.

Confirming the City was investigating the matter after complaints received in April, spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said some of the claims regarding staff appointment processes were still being looked into.

The dossier, excerpts of which Adams shared with the media, claimed to show tender and employment irregularities within the City’s Fleet Management department.

The department procures the vehicles for, on behalf, and for the benefit of other departments.

According to the dossier, the City is spending billions of rand on buying new vehicles without scrutiny of practices and procedures to prevent fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

The dossier claims the Fleet department buys vehicles which come with a service and maintenance plan and that, on average, it spends 25% to 30% of the capital budget on fleet management on additional service plans never used. It claims the department spent R500 million on these service plans.

Adams said if the claims were proved to be true, then this was a form of money laundering.

Adams alleged mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis received the report three months ago. He said it showed these irregularities, but the mayor said there was no wrongdoing at the time even though the City’s forensic department was investigating.

Confronted with the allegations on Tuesday, City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the City was looking into it and would respond in due course.

On Wednesday, Tyhalibongo said: “The allegations were made anonymously, and without any corroborating evidence. Should anyone wish to submit any actual evidence, they should please do so, rather than repeating unsubstantiated allegations.”

Tyhalibongo said it was “misguided and incorrect” to allege the purchasing service plans were wasteful.

He said a cost and benefit analysis done in 2016, and a Fleet Management Strategy in 2018, backed service plans as being “a responsible and cost-effective practice for managing public assets”. |