The Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality executive mayor Danny Jordaan has defended his decision to appoint convicted criminal Linda Miti as the Metro's head of safety and security.
Jordaan has recently been criticised for appointing Miti, even though he has been convicted on charges of drunken driving. He was found guilty of drunk and negligent driving and he was also implicated in fraud and corruption amounting to R1.5-billion by the Special Investigating Unit.
"There are two issues here, the first one is a drunken driving charge dating back to 1996, the second one dates back in 2006. I assume that you know that between 1996, 2006 and 2016 he has been appointed to many senior positions full-time. If you are saying whoever is arrested in this country on a drunken driving charge may not work anywhere anymore, you would have to dismiss members of parliament of all parties, senior executives, senior members in business," Jordaan said.
He said that any political party that assumed that anyone was guilty before being trialed by a court of law, is a threat to the democracy of the country.
"Secondly if you are saying if any person in this country has an allegation against him or her they must just go to jail that is an apartheid constructed justice. That is not what this country is all about. In this country you are innocent until proven guilty," Jordaan said.
Jordaan shrugs off criticism over security appointee
Jordaan has recently been criticised for appointing Miti, even though he has been convicted on charges of drunken driving. He was found guilty of drunk and negligent driving and he was also implicated in fraud and corruption amounting to R1.5-billion by the Special Investigating Unit.
"There are two issues here, the first one is a drunken driving charge dating back to 1996, the second one dates back in 2006. I assume that you know that between 1996, 2006 and 2016 he has been appointed to many senior positions full-time. If you are saying whoever is arrested in this country on a drunken driving charge may not work anywhere anymore, you would have to dismiss members of parliament of all parties, senior executives, senior members in business," Jordaan said.
He said that any political party that assumed that anyone was guilty before being trialed by a court of law, is a threat to the democracy of the country.
"Secondly if you are saying if any person in this country has an allegation against him or her they must just go to jail that is an apartheid constructed justice. That is not what this country is all about. In this country you are innocent until proven guilty," Jordaan said.
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