An Eastern Cape ANC councillor appeared in court yesterday for allegedly selling hundreds of RDP plots for R10000 each.Maletswai municipal councillor Patricia Ntombizanele Williams allegedly took bribes for some of the 200 plots which the Aliwal North-based council had earmarked for new low-cost houses.
Williams was caught when undercover police officers from the Hawks offered to buy some plots.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed yesterday that Williams appeared in the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court over allegations of corruption.
He said the councillor had been arrested on December 1 last year and the matter had been postponed.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said Williams’s case had been handed to the party’s Integrity committee for a ruling.
The plots formed part of an allocation of 457 identified by the local council on which to build low-cost houses for Soul City informal settlement residents.
Council minutes show that Soul City, the informal settlement that falls under Williams’s Ward 4, had only 257 qualifying beneficiaries.
The council then took a decision that the remaining 200 plots be set aside and given to other qualifying low-cost housing beneficiaries from across the municipality.
Maletswai mayor Nalisile Mathethwa confirmed yesterday that Williams’s arrest was discussed at a December 7 council meeting where councillors agreed that a task team be formed to investigate if she had breached their code of conduct.
“After intense discussions, it was decided that I must come up with names of the task team members, which I will present during a council meeting on February 23,” Mathethwa said.
“At this meeting councillors will decide the time frame for the investigation and terms of reference. Otherwise, we have informed MEC Fikile Xasa’s office about the developments as required by law.”
Mabuyane said the whistle-blower was an Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) military veteran, who “acted wisely by also informing both the ANC regional and provincial leader” about the alleged corruption.
“If this MK comrade had reported this directly to us before police involvement, it would have made it easy for the Integrity committee to act swiftly,” Mabuyane said.
“Unfortunately, now the committee has also got to respect the law by giving everyone the right to be innocent until proven otherwise.
“We are following the court processes very closely.”
Williams could not be reached for comment at the time of writing. Her case has been postponed until March 18. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
ANC official on graft charges
Maletswai municipal councillor Patricia Ntombizanele Williams allegedly took bribes for some of the 200 plots which the Aliwal North-based council had earmarked for new low-cost houses.
Williams was caught when undercover police officers from the Hawks offered to buy some plots.
Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed yesterday that Williams appeared in the Aliwal North Magistrate’s Court over allegations of corruption.
He said the councillor had been arrested on December 1 last year and the matter had been postponed.
ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane said Williams’s case had been handed to the party’s Integrity committee for a ruling.
The plots formed part of an allocation of 457 identified by the local council on which to build low-cost houses for Soul City informal settlement residents.
Council minutes show that Soul City, the informal settlement that falls under Williams’s Ward 4, had only 257 qualifying beneficiaries.
The council then took a decision that the remaining 200 plots be set aside and given to other qualifying low-cost housing beneficiaries from across the municipality.
Maletswai mayor Nalisile Mathethwa confirmed yesterday that Williams’s arrest was discussed at a December 7 council meeting where councillors agreed that a task team be formed to investigate if she had breached their code of conduct.
“After intense discussions, it was decided that I must come up with names of the task team members, which I will present during a council meeting on February 23,” Mathethwa said.
“At this meeting councillors will decide the time frame for the investigation and terms of reference. Otherwise, we have informed MEC Fikile Xasa’s office about the developments as required by law.”
Mabuyane said the whistle-blower was an Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) military veteran, who “acted wisely by also informing both the ANC regional and provincial leader” about the alleged corruption.
“If this MK comrade had reported this directly to us before police involvement, it would have made it easy for the Integrity committee to act swiftly,” Mabuyane said.
“Unfortunately, now the committee has also got to respect the law by giving everyone the right to be innocent until proven otherwise.
“We are following the court processes very closely.”
Williams could not be reached for comment at the time of writing. Her case has been postponed until March 18. — zineg@dispatch.co.za
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