Chris Pappas, the under fire DA mayor of Umngeni local municipality in KwaZulu-Natal who is facing an investigation, has dared MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi to bring it on.
UPDATE: KZN SALGA chairperson and King Cetshwayo district mayor, Thami Ntuli warns that municipalities are facing a cash crunch. He says what is even more worrying is that government departments owe the province’s municipalities R3 billion after the debt jumped from R800m. @IOL pic.twitter.com/5b25FxaKFN
Pappas says he is ready for the probe which was announced by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), as he has nothing to be afraid of.
He said this to IOL on Friday in Durban on the sidelines of the DA’s local government summit where he was the guest speaker and spoke to delegates about turning municipalities around and delivering services.
The MEC announced the probe on Thursday afternoon after allegations that Pappas favoured his former partner Jean Pierre Prinsloo for tourism funding and tenders in the municipality.
NEWS: Delivering his keynote address, Chris Pappas told delegates that sometimes, when you take over as a mayor, you walk into a hostile environment where the culture of accountability is non-existent and some people are there to protect certain interests. pic.twitter.com/ba72FCUoqo
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 29, 2023
However, Pappas, the municipality and the DA have vehemently denied the allegations, saying everything was above board.
The municipality called the allegations a “smear campaign”, while the DA called the allegations “high school gossip”.
Pappas told IOL that ever since Sithole-Moloi announced the probe, he has not received any correspondence from her office.
“I have not received anything from her office about the investigation yet, but I can say that I am ready, she must bring it on,” Pappas said.
WATCH: DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers speaks about how they once visited Singapore as members of the provincial legislature to woo investors. One of the political big shots there asked them how they are expected to invest in a province where a faction calls itself the Taliban. pic.twitter.com/QoRjfBLt4N
In another sign that the investigation would not be a walk in the park for Sithole-Moloi, Martin Meyer, a DA member of the provincial legislature (MPL) who also serves in the Cogta portfolio committee, has heard that Sithole-Moloi wants to brief the committee about the mooted probe.
Meyer said should that be done, he was ready to ask them which Act allows them to convene such a meeting.
He said the committee’s duty is to conduct oversight on Cogta, not municipalities or be used to fight political battles.
WATCH: SALGA KZN chairperson and King Cetshwayo district municipality Mayor, Thami Ntuli addressing the local government summit in Durban about the state of municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. @IOL pic.twitter.com/lrrQbozXh7
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 29, 2023
Meanwhile, addressing the summit, Pappas spoke about how to turn municipalities around, saying officials sometimes hide behind non-existent acts to hinder decisions they don’t like.
The ANC Youth League in KZN will on Monday picket against DA's Chris Pappas. The league says it wants Pappas to be arrested for alleged nepotism. Pappas, DA and the Umngeni local municipality have dismissed the allegations against him as a smear campaign and high school gossip. pic.twitter.com/bVi5rlUbiH
He said when you question them about the acts they claim would be breached, they fail to provide any.
NEWS: DA Youth in KZN has hit back at the ANC Youth League for its mooted picket against Chris Pappas. The DA Youth says the ANCYL never marched against eThekwini and Msunduzi where corruption is rife and service delivery has collapsed. It added that it stands behind Pappas. pic.twitter.com/rNwoBjRhvv
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 30, 2023
Coming to being a hands-on mayor, he said the biggest challenge with politicians is that they leave everything to officials instead of getting themselves involved in municipal work without encroaching on the space for officials.
“But be careful of overstepping, doing things you are not supposed to. But the ideal way of doing things is to be hands-on, is to be accountable, it is fast-moving,” he said.
NEWS: DA KZN Leader Francois Rodgers says every time the governance shortcomings of the ANC government are pointed out, they use the race card as defence. He adds that it has become clear that the race card would be their weapon in the 2024 elections. @IOL pic.twitter.com/oRsFOgunn2
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) September 29, 2023
Pappas also told delegates that sometimes, when you take over as a mayor, you walk into a hostile environment where the culture of accountability is non-existent and some people are there to protect certain interests.
Speaking at the same summit, KZN South African Local Government Association (Salga) chairperson and King Cetshwayo district municipality mayor, Thami Ntuli warned that municipalities are facing a cash-crunch.
He says what is even more worrying is that government departments owe the province’s municipalities R3 billion, after the debt jumped from R800 million in 12 months.
IOL Politics