DA concludes probe into 'sex soundbite' Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa
Tshwane mayor Stevens Mokgalapa will know within a few days whether he still has a future in the DA.
The party said on Monday that it had completed an internal investigation into a leaked audio clip purportedly featuring Mokgalapa and now former MMC for roads and transport Sheila Senkubuge.
The 30-minute clip, which surfaced in November, is a recording of two people allegedly engaged in an intimate act and discussing plans to fire government officials. They refer to the speaker of the Tshwane council as a "witch" and delve into plans to take a BMW X5 belonging to an official for their own use.
The "sex and gossip" clip was allegedly recorded at Senkubuge’s Hatfield office in early October, after a mayoral committee meeting.
“I received feedback that the federal legal commission has concluded its investigation. Its recommendations will be dealt with at the next federal executive meeting, which will be happening in two weeks time,” said Gauteng DA leader John Moodey.
He was speaking at the DA offices in Bruma, Johannesburg, where the party poured cold water on allegations made by the ANC that Tshwane, a DA-run metro, was deeply troubled and needed to be placed under administration.
Moodey acknowledged that 2019 had been a tough year for the DA, saying their "fortunes did not look as good as anticipated".
Besides the audio clip, the party's federal leader Mmusi Maimane resigned and so did Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba. This resulted in the party losing its grip on power in the Johannesburg metro. An ANC mayor, Geoff Makhubo, now occupies what used to be Mashaba's seat.
Commenting on the Mokgalapa matter, Moodey said the matter had also been reported to the ethics committee. He said he would be meeting with the speaker of Tshwane on Tuesday, where he hoped the matter would be speedily finalised.
“Now let me make it very clear that the mayor had voluntarily gone on leave in the first instance so as to allow the internal party matters to be investigated without any suggestion of interference on his side. Ethically speaking, it was a wise decision from him," said Moodey, adding that Mokgalapa had stressed that he wanted to clear his name.
Mokgalapa and Senkubuge previously denied ever being intimate and alleged that the clip had been tampered with.
The pair laid charges of extortion and blackmail at the Brooklyn police station, saying the audio clip was used to demand the reinstatement of four officials who had been suspended from the municipality.
“Mayor Mokgalapa has laid charges of extortion and invasion of privacy against some known and unknown individuals at the Brooklyn police station, as well as with the Hawks,” said the DA at the time.
Senkubuge resigned from her MMC position just days after the audio clip surfaced.
This also came as questions were raised on her citizenship. The Sunday Times reported that shortly before Senkubuge’s resignation, an affidavit had been circulated alleging that she had arrived in SA from Uganda in 2011 and was not yet a naturalised citizen when she was elected as a DA councillor.