Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan has demanded an explanation from the City of Johannesburg over the expenditure of R4.5-million in 48 hours during the opening of the Soweto Theatre.
He also wants an explanation of the council's apparently illegal process of condoning it as irregular expenditure.
Gordhan yesterday sent a letter to the office of Johannesburg executive mayor Parks Tau, demanding he explain the furore around blowing R4581459 of the theatre's R5-million budget in 48 hours, and then condoning it without following prescribed legislation.
Dumisa Jele, chief of staff in Gordhan's office, said the letter was sent to Tau after the minister saw a report in The Times.
"We've referred a request to the mayor [Tau] to grant us an update on the matter. What we are saying is: 'We are reading this story. Can we get an explanation'," said Jele.
Gordhan's entry into the fray significantly raises the prospects of the city's request that the R4.5-million expenditure be declared irregular being rejected. This might mean the politician responsible for the expenditure, community development member of the mayoral committee Chris Vondo, might be held financially liable in terms of Section 32 [2][b] of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
ANC councillors had used their numerical advantage to pass through the expenditure without first instituting an investigation to determine whether the R4.5-million was recoverable.
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