By: Samkele Maseko

The much awaited Manase report has been released.

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC, Honourable Nomusa Dube, released the report on the 5^th of June.

The Report entails fraudulent acts by councillors within the eThekwini Municipality who were illegally doing business with the municipality and its officials.

“The investigations were founded upon different cases,” said Dube.

The cases include; alleged irregular expenditure resulting from inadequate budgetary controls and controls over payment processes and weak checks and balances, alleged abuse of the use of Urgent and Emergency Procurement Policy when appointing service providers, and alleged non-compliance with Supply Chain Management (SCM) policies and regulations in respect of the various infrastructure and housing related projects.

Other cases are:

• Alleged unwarranted variation orders being approved by the management without following proper procedure.
• Alleged non-disclosure of interests by Councillors and Officials of the municipality.
• Alleged irregularities in the supply chain management process in the award of contracts, payments and performance management in respect of telecommunications
• Alleged illegal rental and sale of RDP houses.
• Alleged irregularities in human resources pertaining to recruitment, selection and appointment of staff within the municipality.
• Alleged irregularities pertaining to the abuse of overtime, locomotion allowance, subsistence and travel claims.
• Alleged fraudulent practices within the Durban Metro Police and Traffic Police
• Alleged irregularities in the Development and Planning Offices and alleged noncompliance with Street Traders Bylaws; and
• Any other consequential matter/s that may arise during the investigation.

The following councillors were also found to have contravened the Code of Conduct for Councillors of the Municipal Systems Act No. 32 of 2000, read with section 54 of same Act:

Councillor J N Cele , G M Cele  , S Shange , S Z Xulu , P P Hlengwa , B A Chili , S Gumede , M P Gumede , T S Mtshali and M Shezi.

Some of the councillors who are still part of the municipality were fined. Councillor J.N. Cele was fined two weeks’ salary of R8 248.19. Councillor S. Shange was fined four weeks’ salary amounting to R18 187-95, and Councillor S. Xulu was fined one year’s salary, R195 002.22.

The Municipality further had R 532.576 million in irregular expenditure referred to by the Auditor General for the financial year ending 30 June 2010, and R 428 million Payment Vouchers not signed as “authorized” for payment.

The report dictated that disciplinary action must be taken against the Deputy City Manager for Treasury, former Deputy City Manager for Infrastructure, and former Head of Housing.

No disciplinary charges were brought against the former Head of Housing and former Deputy City Manager for Procurement and Infrastructure who primarily resigned whilst he had a case to answer to, but their involvement is criminally investigated by ACTT.

The report came as a massive breakthrough for the Democratic Alliance in their bid to get the African National Congress to release the Manase Report. The report further elaborates on issues of recovery that will be pursued upon completion of criminal investigations.