/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

I am pleased to announce to residents of the great City of Joburg that the Multi-Party Government has agreed with my recommendation that the City effect urgent and important changes to the board of directors of the City of Joburg Property Company.  

This follows a Special Investigations Unit report into questionable activities at the JPC – which was released on 29 March 2021 – and that has been in the possession of the JPC board. This report implicates senior executive managers of the entity in allegations ranging from serious misconduct to possible corruption and/ or the misuse of the ratepayers’ money. It further recommends corrective action against specific managers and persons related to the entity.

It has been 10 months since the release of the SIU report, with the board not having completed the implementation of the recommendations of the report as directed to do so by Maycom. This includes the period up to and including this Monday, 24 January 2021 – when the Multi-Party Government agreed to remove the chairperson.

The Maycom’s expectation would be for the board to complete the process to either exonerate or find against the affected officials. Instead, the board surprisingly accepted the findings of a third party they contracted to effect the SIU recommendations that such charges did not have a reasonable probability of success without fully engaging the SIU on these counter findings.  

The unwarranted delay in the finalisation is concerning and does not give the impression that there was necessary leadership capability to finalise the SIU report. 

The shareholder has therefore exercised its discretion to recall or remove a director if the performance of the director is unsatisfactory. 

As the City’s Political Head responsible for this entity, I find this inaction reprehensible. As a rate and taxpayer myself, it beggars belief why persons charged with the execution of specific fiduciary responsibilities, and responsible for overseeing the (mis)management of billions in public funds would elect to not act when a legitimate law enforcement authority recommends as such. 

Such inaction, in the face of growing mountains of evidence of misconduct, is exactly why South Africans have increasingly lost faith in government and its elected leadership. Not only must we, as public leaders, act in order to restore that faith in the innate goodness of our fellow man and public leadership, but we must do so because it is the good and right thing to do.

Allegations of corruption,  the misuse and wastage of public funds are a stain against our public institutions and they take away from government the ability to execute the kinds of programmes that would benefit us all,  particularly in supporting the poorest amongst us. Inaction against prima facie evidence of apparently serious misdeeds cannot be allowed to go undealt with. We will not allow that any longer.

Following my recommendation, the Multi-Party Government has, therefore, removed Mr Moeketsi Rabodila as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the City of Johannesburg Property Company and appointed Ms Kuluwa Muthwa as Interim Chairperson, with immediate effect, until the entity’s next Annual General Meeting. 

Residents must rest assured that the Interim Chairperson has my full support and that of the rest of the Multi-Party Government in the execution of her duties as she leads the board in the interim.

Issued by City of Johannesburg Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development Nkululeko Mbundu