DA councillor in hot water for R20-million mayoral house claim

The City of uMhlathuze has instituted an investigation against Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Christo Botha for allegedly breaching the councillors' code of conduct and bringing the council’s name into disrepute.

This follows Botha’s statement on Sunday in which he claimed that the City of uMhlathuze in Richards Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast was spending an estimated R20-million on a mansion for its mayor‚ Mduduzi Gift Mhlongo.

Botha said he had written to the city’s municipal manager‚ Nhlanhla Sibeko‚ to seek clarity on where the funding for the mayoral mansion was sourced and why it had not been communicated to the council and the public.

However‚ uMhlathuze disputed this‚ saying it had started constructing a R5.5-million official mayoral residence in the plush suburb of Meerensee in Richards Bay. The city said the house would not be used as the mayor’s private residence‚ as Botha had claimed‚ but would rather be used to host delegations and guests such as investors‚ while the mayor continues to live in his private residence.

After a full council meeting on Wednesday‚ the City of uMhlathuze resolved to institute an investigation of misconduct against Botha following his statement which it said contained a misrepresentation of facts “thus deliberately misleading the public through the media”.

The city said Botha’s statement contained “skewed malicious contents” against Mhlongo.

“The council distanced itself from the contents of the statement and brought forth facts about the municipal house that the city is building on its own land in question‚” said uMhlathuze spokesman Mdu Ncalane.

He said the facts included that the process for a municipal house started in 2008 and was effected in 2014 after it was gazetted and tabled in council and that the budget for building the municipal house was R5.5-million.

“The council also received the draft proposed budget for the city which clearly depicted that the city is in good financial health and also has cash reserves of almost R100-million in its coffers‚ contrary to what the public is made to believe through Councillor Botha’s statement stating the city is cash-strapped‚” said Ncalane.

He said chief whip Mannie Laurens would be leading the investigation into Botha’s alleged misconduct.

Botha said: "The ANC majority has taken this decision and not the opposition councillors who all objected against it. I will deal with the matter as it arises."