The African National Congress (ANC) in Johannesburg has slammed the firing of the member of mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, Rabelani Dagada, as "a feeble attempt" at detracting attention from what they call the real issue of mismanagement of the City’s finances.
This comes after Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba on Monday fired Dagada following a forensic investigation that found him in reach of the City’s code of conduct and conflict of interest.
Dagada was last year implicated in a "jobs for pals" scandal in which he was alleged to have enriched his friend by facilitating access to lucrative tenders. According to reports, a service provider received a two-month contract of over R190,000, allegedly due to his long-standing relationship with Dagada.
The firing of Dagada comes amid continued problems in the City’s revenue department regarding the escalating billing crisis which has reached "unprecedented proportions".
The ANC on Monday responded to Dagada's firing by reiterating its call for the immediate removal of Mashaba as mayor.
"Under Mashaba’s leadership the executive management team of the revenue department has changed three times in 12 months, he has destabilised City Power, a key revenue contributor, by dismissing the Managing Director. Mashaba also fired the City’s group chief financial officer," the ANC said.
"He is also responsible for weakening the department that deals with the strategic implementation plans of the City, which has resulted in the majority of the executive being in acting positions. Although the DA is finally acknowledging that there is indeed a problem, they are still failing to deal with the source of the problem, Herman Mashaba."
Mashaba has moved MMC Funzela Ngobeni from the development planning to department replace Dagada in finance with immediate effect and then appointed Reuben Masango to fill Ngobeni’s former post.
Dagada has also been suspended as a councillor by the Federal Executive of the Democratic Alliance (DA) pending an enquiry of the DA’s federal legal commission.