The EFF has called on the City of Tshwane to release a Public Protector report into alleged irregular appointments and take disciplinary action against implicated officials.
Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers
The Economic Freedom Fighters in Gauteng has called on the City of Tshwane to urgently table a Public Protector report into alleged maladministration and to make its findings public without delay, warning against any attempts to suppress accountability.
The party said the report, which was released to the City on March 31, relates to an investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment and selection process that led to the appointment of Moshema Mosia as Chief of Emergency Services.
According to the EFF, the report is understood to raise concerns about administrative failures at senior level, including the role of City Manager Johann Mettler, who chaired the selection panel.
“The Public Protector is reported to have found that the City Manager failed to ensure compliance with mandatory recruitment regulations, including proper verification of qualifications, reference checks, and criminal vetting prior to interviews,” the party said.
It added that these alleged lapses “constitute maladministration and improper conduct, and fundamentally undermine the principles of transparency, fairness, and accountability in public administration.”
The EFF said the report stems from a complaint it lodged in October 2023 and described the findings as confirmation of long-standing concerns about irregular appointments within the metro.
“This report exposes serious failures at the highest level of the City's administration,” the party said, adding that “we have been proven correct: the process was deeply flawed, and the leadership of the City failed in its duty to uphold the law.”
The party further warned that any attempt to withhold or selectively release the report would undermine democratic oversight.
“Any attempt to suppress or selectively present this report would amount to a direct attack on accountability and democratic oversight,” it said.
The EFF is now demanding that the full report be tabled before council immediately, alongside disciplinary processes for those implicated.
It also called for “a transparent process of accountability and consequence management” and for measures to be put in place to prevent similar irregularities in future.
“The EFF will not allow the erosion of governance through secrecy and administrative misconduct. We remain committed to fighting for clean, accountable, and lawful governance in the City of Tshwane,” the statement concluded.
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