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While GOOD welcomes the removal of Malusi Booi from the Cape Town Mayoral Committee, the Democratic Alliance needs to deal with all the criminal accused in its Council caucus. 

The latest decision by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis follows a police raid at Booi's offices last week as part of ongoing investigations into fraud and corruption in the City’s housing department. 

The investigation into these allegations at the Human Settlements Directorate has been ongoing for sometime, with officials raising alarm as far back as 2020. The public deserves an honest update.

The Mayor must provide clarity on what more he learned about Booi’s conduct that he did not know last week, when he announced his "suspension". 

Moreover, the Mayor has had access to a City funded forensic investigation into housing corruption, and unless that investigation was selective, the Mayor must have been aware of information that implicated Booi long before the raid. The Mayor needs to explain why he waited until now to act. 

While it’s encouraging to see the City taking swift steps in this regard, GOOD is concerned about the ongoing secrecy around these allegations and investigation when this case involves public funds. 

The Mayor’s decision to sack Booi also raises the issue of Nora Grose once again, as she is currently being defended with the help of public funds when she’s already charged in the Commercial Crimes Court. The City cannot continue to ignore questions around this inconsistency. 

Mayor Hill-Lewis must come clean and act transparently if he is serious about clean governance, and this includes sharing info with the public he was elected to serve.

Issued by GOOD: City of Cape Town Councillor Suzette Little