Troubled Buffalo City ANC leader Pumlani Mkolo may be banned from all campaigns for this year’s local government elections.
The details are contained in an eight-page Integrity Committee (IC) report crafted by ANC stalwart Andrew Mlangeni dated April 10 2015.
The report, a copy of which the Daily Dispatch has seen, is addressed to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Mlangeni states in his opening remarks that “this report does not make any factual findings about the guilt or innocence of comrades Ncitha, Simon-Ndzele, Tinta, Gomba or Mkolo.”
The Dispatch two years ago exposed how more than R5.9-million was paid by Buffalo City Metro (BCM) to Victory Ticket, a company owned by Mzwandile Sokwali and his wife Busisiwe Boti, to transport mourners to memorial services for the late Nelson Mandela. It is alleged the money was instead used to pay for ANC
T-shirts and to feed mourners.
Mkolo, council speaker Simon-Ndzele, councillor Sindiswa Gomba, former mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and deputy mayor Themba Tinta are facing criminal charges in relation to the alleged fraud.
The report recommended that Mkolo be placed on suspension and Simon-Ndzele, Ncitha and Tinta be demoted to become ordinary councillors. However, Ncitha and Tinta have resigned as BCM councillors.
Ncitha is now a member of parliament and Tinta a member of the provincial legislature in Bhisho.
Gomba is the only one who has since been cleared after she made a submission that her only involvement in the saga was that Sokwali paid for her travel and accommodation arrangements to a provincial memorial service in Port Elizabeth.
The report, however, read the riot act to Mkolo. “Mkolo must be relieved of his duties with immediate effect and not be allowed to hold any political office or serve as a spokesman of the ANC.
“He should be also be prevented from campaigning in the 2016 municipal elections.”
Mkolo is also accused of interfering in the metro’s “administrative and procurement processes with impunity and shows no remorse”.
The committee made reference to a meeting with Mkolo in which he was grilled about his lifestyle, stating that his salary of R30000 a month was not sufficient to fund it.
In the interview, Mkolo “made no attempt to hide that he meets regularly with business people”. He reportedly said “business people want to meet with someone who has real power and influence”.
“We understood that to mean that comrade Mkolo believes he has power to influence government processes because of his position in the ANC,” the report reads.
When contacted for comment, Mkolo said he had not seen the report.
ANC report scathing about Mkolo
The details are contained in an eight-page Integrity Committee (IC) report crafted by ANC stalwart Andrew Mlangeni dated April 10 2015.
The report, a copy of which the Daily Dispatch has seen, is addressed to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.
Mlangeni states in his opening remarks that “this report does not make any factual findings about the guilt or innocence of comrades Ncitha, Simon-Ndzele, Tinta, Gomba or Mkolo.”
The Dispatch two years ago exposed how more than R5.9-million was paid by Buffalo City Metro (BCM) to Victory Ticket, a company owned by Mzwandile Sokwali and his wife Busisiwe Boti, to transport mourners to memorial services for the late Nelson Mandela. It is alleged the money was instead used to pay for ANC
T-shirts and to feed mourners.
Mkolo, council speaker Simon-Ndzele, councillor Sindiswa Gomba, former mayor Zukiswa Ncitha and deputy mayor Themba Tinta are facing criminal charges in relation to the alleged fraud.
The report recommended that Mkolo be placed on suspension and Simon-Ndzele, Ncitha and Tinta be demoted to become ordinary councillors. However, Ncitha and Tinta have resigned as BCM councillors.
Ncitha is now a member of parliament and Tinta a member of the provincial legislature in Bhisho.
Gomba is the only one who has since been cleared after she made a submission that her only involvement in the saga was that Sokwali paid for her travel and accommodation arrangements to a provincial memorial service in Port Elizabeth.
The report, however, read the riot act to Mkolo. “Mkolo must be relieved of his duties with immediate effect and not be allowed to hold any political office or serve as a spokesman of the ANC.
“He should be also be prevented from campaigning in the 2016 municipal elections.”
Mkolo is also accused of interfering in the metro’s “administrative and procurement processes with impunity and shows no remorse”.
The committee made reference to a meeting with Mkolo in which he was grilled about his lifestyle, stating that his salary of R30000 a month was not sufficient to fund it.
In the interview, Mkolo “made no attempt to hide that he meets regularly with business people”. He reportedly said “business people want to meet with someone who has real power and influence”.
“We understood that to mean that comrade Mkolo believes he has power to influence government processes because of his position in the ANC,” the report reads.
When contacted for comment, Mkolo said he had not seen the report.
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