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ActionSA notes media reports confirming our suspicions that the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC), the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) and the city administration did indeed collude to fleece the eThekwini residents.

This comes after the City Integrity & Investigations Unit (CIIU) report appears to have been leaked to the press. ActionSA is pleased that the truth is finally out after fighting for weeks to gain access to this important report after attempts by the Speaker and City officials to bury the damning report and its findings.

In light of this new information ActionSA will:

Open a criminal case against Deputy City Manager and eThekwini Electoral Officer, Mr Sipho Cele, and all those who have had a hand in this collusion. Furthermore, Mr Mathabatha Maruma conveyed that he did not participate in the planning and procurement of the ICC venue but confirmed that he was aware that there were funds available in the cluster of the Deputy City Manager.  

Move that the Chief Financial Officer (CEO) of the ICC, Ms Lindiwe Rakharebe, be investigated to determine her role in this matter as we believe that it is implausible that Mr Cele would have been able to swindle the eThekwini residents on his own. 

Approach the Speaker of the eThekwini Municipality, Mr Thabani Nyawose, requesting that he urgently re-table our motion to dissolve the ICC Board at the very next sitting of Council. 

Move for the removal of Mr Sipho Cele as the eThekwini’s Electoral Officer, as he admitted in his representations to have assisted the ANC secure the venue for the Women’s League conference. Cele should no longer be permitted to preside over elections his bias has become patently clear in this matter. 

ActionSA has maintained since the beginning of this saga that ANC politicians, City and IEC officials were in cahoots to defraud the eThekwini residents by attempting to embezzle R5 089 781,90 from ratepayer coffers to fund the ANCWL’s elective conference earlier this year. 

After submitting an application pursuant to the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to the Municipality to gain access to the final report of the investigations, our request fell on deaf ears, as well as all other attempts to have the information made public.

Since learning of this scandal, ActionSA has:

Written to the eThekwini City Manager, Musa Mbhele, and CFO, Sandile Mnguni, bringing this matter to their attention and calling on him to put an immediate stop to this order. We are aware that the city is yet to receive final invoice from the ICC and have 30 days to pay as per agreement.  We demand that the accounting officer give effect to his duties to prevent any irregular expenditure pursuant to the prescripts of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

Written to the Head of the City Integrity and Investigation Unit (CIIU), Mr Thulani Ntobela, requesting that he launch an immediate investigation into the irregular use of public funds to pay for ANC party activities. 

Successfully demonstrated and handed over a Memorandum of Demands to the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) Board calling for transparency in the matter where the ICC and the eThekwini Municipality signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to fully fund the ANC Women’s League Conference.

Given that that the city has previously mislead the public and members of council regarding this matter, we will not allow for this to drag on endlessly.

ActionSA, at its recent policy conference in September 2023, voted unanimously to declare corruption public enemy no. 1. To that end, we will not relent in our fight to ensure that corruption is eradicated in all spheres and tiers of government.

Issued by ActionSA KZN Premier Candidate Zwakele Mncwango