Tshwane DA leader Cilliers Brink has appealed to City of Tshwane Municipality Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya to fire embattled MMC for Finance Eugene Bonzo Modise from his position.
Modise also serves as the Tshwane Metro’s Deputy Mayor.
At a media briefing held in Tshwane today (Tuesday) Brink said the following:
“The most important thing is that as the DA we have been digging and we have been revealing information bit by bit and the link between Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise and security company Triotic Protection Services has been revealed by us.”
He added that the link between Modise and Gofa-One which is the company that has been awarded a tender to provide water to residents of Tshwane via water tankers was also revealed by the DA and we also uncovered the fact that the address 148 Phaswane Street links ANC Secretary George Matjila with businesses linked to Eugene Modise.”
He also said the ANC’s attempt to get rid of City of Tshwane Municipality Chief Financial Officer Gareth Mnisi is being influenced by the battle for resources and that it has nothing to do with what was revealed at the Madlanga Commission.
He revealed that CFO Mnisi is regarded as being biased against the ANC in favour of the EFF and ActionSA in terms of awarding tenders.
“We will encourage the Madlanga Commission to invite CFO Mnisi to give evidence because his devices and WhatsApp messages are a treasure trove that will reveal more damning evidence regarding the link between politicians and service providers in the City of Tshwane Municipality,” explained Brink.
“CFO Mnisi underwent security clearance processes and the question arises as to how he was cleared by the State Security Agency (SSA) when upon hindsight it has emerged that he has a chequered past and should not have been appointed CFO of the City of Tshwane Municipality,” said Brink as he in the process called for the immediate suspension and investigation of Mnisi, given the serious allegations levelled at him at the Madlanga Commission.
Brink also implored City of Tshwane Municipality Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya to fire her deputy Modise, who aldo occupies the position of MMC for Finance in the City of Tshwane.
“Instead of sitting next to Modise at a media conference that will be held on Thursday to respond to allegations of rampant corruption in the City of Tshwane, Moya must give Modise the sack,” enthused the former Mayor.
“The DA has approached the Public Protector’s office regarding the investigation of the said security tender as well as for invoices paid on water tankers, and we have also approached the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) in this regard, and we have also opened a case of corruption with the SAPS to investigate Eugene Modise,” said Tshwane DA Caucus Chief Whip Jacqui Uys.
She revealed that the case the DA opened against Modise was now in the hands of the elite SAPS Investigative unit known as The Hawks.
“The Triotic Protection Services security tender that was awarded to Modise was signed by an Administrator who had been illegally imposed upon the City of Tshwane after the City had been put under administration by the Gauteng Provincial Government,” explained Uys.
“Eugene Modise has to look to his own ANC who appointed the administrator who signed the Triotic contract without checking whether Modise’s company has a tax clearance certificate, serial records and all the necessary documents in place, and it must be emphasised that the contract awarded to Modise was not signed by a City Manager appointed by the DA,” elaborated Uys.
Then Brink further explained that as a business person Modise should have declared upfront that he was a beneficial business person immediately he got elected as Councillor because the Code of Conduct of Councillors requires disclosure and one can’t serve as MMC for Finance while their own companies are benefitting from one’s own policy decisions.
Regarding allegations he made against Secretary George Matjila, Brink elaborated that though Matjila and ANC Treasurer James Shelenge are not politicians, they can use their political positions to influence policy-making decisions to benefit themselves.
He welcomed investigations regarding suspended MMC for Corporate and Shared Services Kholofelo Morodi as damning allegations of tender-rigging and involvement in a jobs-for-pals scam were made against her at the Madlanga Commission.
“The Public Protector’s office indicated that there must be a committee that must probe Modise in terms of the Councillors Code of Conduct and the City of Tshwane Municipality Council does not have any powers regarding Modise’s membership of the Mayoral Committee because it is only the Mayor who has the power to fire or hire members of the committee” explained Brink.
Brink then lamented the fact that Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya was protecting Modise from facing accountability.
“Mayor Moya finds herself in a position whereby she is a junior partner in her own government and if she therefore touches Modise, who is also the ANC’s Tshwane Regional leader, then she will be toppled from her position as Mayor and she must be asked about what she really thinks about Triotic Protection Services; what she thinks about Go Fa One water tankering tenderprenuers; what she thinks about evidence that is run Sunday after Sunday after Sunday in the Sunday newspapers, and my question is how many more front page stories does she need in order to realise that having Modise in the position of MMC for Finance in the City of Tshwane Municipality is a continuing risk to the City which is her responsibility to protect?” fumed Brink.
“We are still following the case of corruption we opened with the SAPS against Modise and we appreciate the fact these things take time and we have sought the advice of AfriForum’s Private Prosecutions Unit head Gerrie Nel in this regard,” he said.
He said the Madlanga Commission has helped to put the corruption scandals in the City of Tshwane in the spotlight and that one of their aims is to at least see Modise, who is in a key fiduciary position of MMC for Finance being relieved of his position and leaving office.
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