THE ANC in Johannesburg has welcomed the decision by its regional chairperson and mayor Geoff Makhubo to subject himself to the party’s Provincial Integrity Commission (PIC) following revelations at the State Capture Commission this week that he received payments from tech giant EOH.
Makhubo appeared for the second time at the State Capture Commission this week relating to payments he allegedly received when he was still regional treasurer of the party.
Earlier this year, EOH officials testified at the State Capture Commission that the tech giant paid Makhubo’s company, Molelwane Consulting, a sum of R570 000 on 30 May 2016.
Makhubo, who was then serving as Joburg Finance MMC, also took R405 000 of the EOH payment for personal and family expenses.
Two days after EOH paid Makhubo’s company, a City of Johannesburg evaluation adjudication committee awarded EOH a R404-million contract to install its SAP software.
On Tuesday this week, the ANC Greater Johannesburg region said it has since asked its regional secretary Dada Morero to urgently write a letter to the PEC requesting that it attend to this matter as a matter of urgency.
“The RWC further reaffirmed its Regional Executive Committee (REC) decision that matters related to the Regional Chairperson [Geoff Makhubo] on Zondo Commission should be handled by the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) and therefore mandated the Regional Secretary to urgently write a letter to the PEC requesting that the PEC attend to this matter as a matter of urgency,” said the party said in a statement.
“The ANC in the region will therefore wait for the PEC to make a determination on this matter.”
The party said the region has commended Makhubo for cooperating with the Zondo Commission and “his willingness to subject himself to all processes thereof, with a full understanding that the ANC as a leader of society and as a parliament of the people must always ensure its leaders are held accountable and conduct themselves with high moral standards.”
It further said that the region has also noted revelations at the Zondo Commission on the finances that are alleged to have been fundraised for the ANC and its leagues in the region by Makhubo.
“The RWC mandated the Regional Treasurer to conduct an inquiry with regard to all the finances purported to have been fundraised on behalf of the ANC as presented in the commission and prepare a report for the RWC, which will be presented to the REC to make a final determination as far as organisational finances are concerned,” said the party.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said that it would lay a criminal complaint against Makhubo and EOH.
The DA said that the Zondo Commission had now laid bare the fact that the city had paid nearly a billion rand to EOH over the past 10 years for a broken SAP system that was at the heart of the billing nightmare.
DA councillor Leah Knott said that it was clear that Mkhubo and his family benefitted from the EOH payments.
“If you’re a senior ANC leader who accepts half a million rand from a company who is awarded a multi-million rand tender by your government, then that’s a bribe. Even EOH’s own forensic investigation done by ENS Africa that no work was done for the half a million rand paid to Makhubo’s company while they were consulting,” said Knott.
- Inside Metros