An Eastern Cape mayor and municipal manager allegedly misused municipal funds when the municipal manager authorised payment of the mayor’s R200000 hospital bill.
Details of the expenditure are contained in a report by Lukhanji municipality boss Nolwandle Gqiba, which she had planned to table in council yesterday.
However, the Dispatch understands that the item dealing with the expenditure was shelved so that it could be discussed by the mayoral committee first.
The report reveals that Gqiba authorised payment of R200000 towards Lukhanji mayor Nozibele Makanda’s hospital bill after Makanda was injured in a car accident on the N6 on November 4 last year. The mayor’s bodyguard died in the accident.
In the report, Gqiba stated that Makanda was trapped in the car for about two hours. “Her condition was life-threatening... she was flown to St Dominic’s Hospital in East London. There was a need for immediate surgery and the hospital needed guarantees from the municipality before attending to her....”
Gqiba said she sought advice from her “political principals” as required by law, and decided to authorise the R200000 payment, which covered two operations.
Yesterday, opposition councillors came out with guns blazing after the meeting, saying paying the mayor’s hospital bill was an abuse of state resources.
United Democratic Movement councillor Mthuthuzeli Hokolo said “what shocked us most was that a first citizen of the town, who gets a medical aid allowance as part of her package, did not have a medical aid”.
Mfundo Siyo, of the Pan African Congress, called the expenditure fraud. “Where do they get the right to use taxpayers’ money like this without council approval,” Siyo said.
The Dispatch understands that the ANC-led council asked for the item to be referred to the mayoral committee for scrutiny.
“The mayor had troubles with her medical aid, so the municipality ended up paying for her. The problem now is that her accident was not covered by the injury on duty for public representatives ,” a source close to the council said.
In the report, Gqiba states that should the council agree, the remainder of Makanda’s hospital bill would be paid for by the municipality. This expenditure would be recovered from the mayor, the compensation fund or through insurance funds. — siphem@dispatch.co.za/ zineg@dispatch.co.za
Row over medical bill for mayor
Details of the expenditure are contained in a report by Lukhanji municipality boss Nolwandle Gqiba, which she had planned to table in council yesterday.
However, the Dispatch understands that the item dealing with the expenditure was shelved so that it could be discussed by the mayoral committee first.
The report reveals that Gqiba authorised payment of R200000 towards Lukhanji mayor Nozibele Makanda’s hospital bill after Makanda was injured in a car accident on the N6 on November 4 last year. The mayor’s bodyguard died in the accident.
In the report, Gqiba stated that Makanda was trapped in the car for about two hours. “Her condition was life-threatening... she was flown to St Dominic’s Hospital in East London. There was a need for immediate surgery and the hospital needed guarantees from the municipality before attending to her....”
Gqiba said she sought advice from her “political principals” as required by law, and decided to authorise the R200000 payment, which covered two operations.
Yesterday, opposition councillors came out with guns blazing after the meeting, saying paying the mayor’s hospital bill was an abuse of state resources.
United Democratic Movement councillor Mthuthuzeli Hokolo said “what shocked us most was that a first citizen of the town, who gets a medical aid allowance as part of her package, did not have a medical aid”.
Mfundo Siyo, of the Pan African Congress, called the expenditure fraud. “Where do they get the right to use taxpayers’ money like this without council approval,” Siyo said.
The Dispatch understands that the ANC-led council asked for the item to be referred to the mayoral committee for scrutiny.
“The mayor had troubles with her medical aid, so the municipality ended up paying for her. The problem now is that her accident was not covered by the injury on duty for public representatives ,” a source close to the council said.
In the report, Gqiba states that should the council agree, the remainder of Makanda’s hospital bill would be paid for by the municipality. This expenditure would be recovered from the mayor, the compensation fund or through insurance funds. — siphem@dispatch.co.za/ zineg@dispatch.co.za
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