Scandal-prone OR Tambo District Municipality is spending millions of rands to protect its council speaker Xolile Nkompela.
The Dispatch has seen documents which showed that just one of the companies hired to protect Nkompela was paid R405 156.00 a month – translating to more than R4-million in 10 months.
Nkompela started enjoying personal security perks last year. The move was prompted after his official vehicle, when he was council speaker at Mhlontlo Municipality, was shot at in December last year.
In January last year, the Daily Dispatch reported that municipal manager Owen Hlazo had presented to council a letter from the office of the Hawks head in Mthatha, Loyiso Mdingi, that they had in their possession a number of cases opened by Nkompela regarding failed attempts by “unknown” people to assassinate him.
He wrote: “We therefore advise that the district municipality prioritise the security protection of the speaker of Mhlontlo local municipality, Mr Xolile Nkompela, but we also further advise that OR Tambo district municipality intensifies the protection of the executive leaders of the municipality as there are clear indications that there are still many of these cases to be expected in the district as per the ongoing investigations.”
Mdingi’s letter was written last year while Nkompela was working in Mhlontlo municipality. The municipality then acquired security services for Nkompela with bodyguards who carry rifles everywhere he goes.
Responding to the Dispatch’s questions on whether another threat analysis had been done, Hawks provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said: “The Hawks have not conducted a threat analysis.” The Dispatch has seen a letter written by an S Mxego, acting sergeant-at-arms, in which he recommends that the protection services that Nkompela has been receiving since March last year continue.
This was in September, a month after the local government elections, which saw Nkompela being deployed to the OR Tambo district by his party, the ANC.
“The speaker of the council Xolile Nkompela was elected in the council meeting held on 24th August 2016 and his Close Protection is still in place by the same company, Sharks protection services. It is recommended that the same company that is protecting him should continue with the services for a period of five months starting from (September 1 2016) to (January 1 2017).”
He stated these reasons:
- Threats and risks against him are still in place;
- The municipality does not have trained protection officers and is still in the process of reviewing the structure; and
- The municipality has no rifles and the processes to acquire them would take too long because of the requirements prescribed by the Firearms Act.
The request was signed by a TM Tseane from the municipality’s legislative services, S Nogwanya, who is chief of staff, and the municipal manager, Hlazo.
In February, Mxego wrote another letter to Hlazo requesting that the contract of a company by the name of Vuco Security Solutions be extended by a further two months “with the same costs of R405156.00 a month, VAT included”.
The letter was approved by S Nogwanya, while Hlazo’s signature is not there. Municipal spokesman Ayongezwa Lungisa said he would liaise with the relevant departments and respond to Dispatch questions today. His phone went to voicemail for most of yesterday afternoon.
Hlazo said he was out of the province and asked that we send questions via e-mail. At about 6pm last night his phone went to voicemail.
Attempts to get hold of Mdingi proved fruitless as his phone also went to voicemail.
Millions spent on guards
The Dispatch has seen documents which showed that just one of the companies hired to protect Nkompela was paid R405 156.00 a month – translating to more than R4-million in 10 months.
Nkompela started enjoying personal security perks last year. The move was prompted after his official vehicle, when he was council speaker at Mhlontlo Municipality, was shot at in December last year.
In January last year, the Daily Dispatch reported that municipal manager Owen Hlazo had presented to council a letter from the office of the Hawks head in Mthatha, Loyiso Mdingi, that they had in their possession a number of cases opened by Nkompela regarding failed attempts by “unknown” people to assassinate him.
He wrote: “We therefore advise that the district municipality prioritise the security protection of the speaker of Mhlontlo local municipality, Mr Xolile Nkompela, but we also further advise that OR Tambo district municipality intensifies the protection of the executive leaders of the municipality as there are clear indications that there are still many of these cases to be expected in the district as per the ongoing investigations.”
Mdingi’s letter was written last year while Nkompela was working in Mhlontlo municipality. The municipality then acquired security services for Nkompela with bodyguards who carry rifles everywhere he goes.
Responding to the Dispatch’s questions on whether another threat analysis had been done, Hawks provincial spokeswoman Captain Anelisa Feni said: “The Hawks have not conducted a threat analysis.” The Dispatch has seen a letter written by an S Mxego, acting sergeant-at-arms, in which he recommends that the protection services that Nkompela has been receiving since March last year continue.
This was in September, a month after the local government elections, which saw Nkompela being deployed to the OR Tambo district by his party, the ANC.
“The speaker of the council Xolile Nkompela was elected in the council meeting held on 24th August 2016 and his Close Protection is still in place by the same company, Sharks protection services. It is recommended that the same company that is protecting him should continue with the services for a period of five months starting from (September 1 2016) to (January 1 2017).”
He stated these reasons:
The request was signed by a TM Tseane from the municipality’s legislative services, S Nogwanya, who is chief of staff, and the municipal manager, Hlazo.
In February, Mxego wrote another letter to Hlazo requesting that the contract of a company by the name of Vuco Security Solutions be extended by a further two months “with the same costs of R405156.00 a month, VAT included”.
The letter was approved by S Nogwanya, while Hlazo’s signature is not there. Municipal spokesman Ayongezwa Lungisa said he would liaise with the relevant departments and respond to Dispatch questions today. His phone went to voicemail for most of yesterday afternoon.
Hlazo said he was out of the province and asked that we send questions via e-mail. At about 6pm last night his phone went to voicemail.
Attempts to get hold of Mdingi proved fruitless as his phone also went to voicemail.
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