Joburg speaker recommends ex-mayor Mpho Phalatse be investigated
City of Johannesburg speaker Colleen Makhubele has recommended that former mayor Mpho Phalatse be investigated for unlawful conduct.
According to the recommendations tabled to the council on Wednesday, the speaker was to consider evidence in the report which points to improper and unlawful conduct and take remedial action relating to the special leave of acting city manager Floyd Brink.
In April last year, Brink was placed on special leave amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of misconduct related to procurement deals worth R320m.
The then mayor, Phalatse, announced that Brink would be placed on special leave to give investigators “space” to look into misconduct allegations related to the noncompliance of procurement processes for hand-held devices and CCTV equipment for the metro’s department of public safety.
The recommendations come at the back of the investigation of Brink’s involvement in the CCTV deal.
“Refer the reported evidence on alleged improper and unlawful conduct relating to Cllr M [Mpho] Phalatse and Cllr L [Leah] Knott to the ethics and disciplinary committee for an investigation,” stated the recommendations.
It was also tabled that there be a rescindment of the re-advertising of the CM position, “approve the appointment of Brink as recommended by the panel and authorise the executive mayor to implement the appointment,” said the report.
A forensic report into the investigation into the noncompliance and misconduct cleared Brink.
The initial report had implicated Brink in noncompliance after he allegedly approved two transactions, of more than R300m and R20m, to buy CCTV equipment and hand-held devices respectively. The transactions were allegedly signed off by officials in Johannesburg's department of public safety, despite them not having the authority to do so.
Brink had also allegedly authorised the transactions while knowing his subordinates were not in a position to approve them — and, according to the report, allegedly later tried to reverse the transactions when he discovered there was an investigation into the matter.
No recommendations were made against Brink.
TimesLIVE is reaching out to Phalatse and Brink for comment and will update the story once reply is received.
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