PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Bitou Municipality appears to be taking action against some of the officials fingered in recent allegations of bribery in connection with the controversial Qolweni housing project, as two implicated officials were placed on special leave while an internal investigation is conducted.
These allegations came to light during a Western Cape High Court application involving the project which led to violent protest action in Plettenberg Bay earlier this year.
The court documents contained allegations that some of Bitou's officials demanded large bribes from contractors to ensure their successful bidding.
"Now, the municipality had taken into considerations these allegations and hold the view that their nature require internal investigations at the behest of council," Acting Mayor Sandiso Gcabayi said in a statement.
He said it was important to note that, during the process of the court proceedings involving the allegations, the Bitou council had not been able to convene a quorate municipal council in order to deal with the allegations, and that he had therefore resolved to grant special leave to the affected municipal officials to allow due process to be followed.
"We further invite political parties to attend municipal council meetings that will be duly constituted, where the item on these allegations will be presented for consideration by council acting within the parameters of the law."
Municipal spokesperson Andile Namntu confirmed that the two officials who had been placed on special leave, were Municipal Manager Lonwabo Ngoqo and Director of Community Services Thomazile Sompani.
Local political party Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM) has in the meantime raised concerns about the municipality's transparency in the matter.
"This special leave is on condition that internal investigations and processes need to take place," said IPM spokesman Sivuyile Nkomo. "We see this as a smokescreen to create an illusion that they are taking action. However, they are not. We know that this internal process will be used to say 'there was an investigation and implicated officials were found not guilty'. Bitou internal processes are riddled with corruption."
Nkomo said if the municipality were interested in finding out the truth, it would have hired an external law firm to do the investigation. "How can the people implicated in corruption also be the ones to investigate themselves? That does not make sense."
By the time of going to print, municipal comment on the IPM's allegations had not been received yet.
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