Durban Municipality. Captured ?
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Who are the municipal "auditors" the AGSA refers to ? They are auditors / consultants employed by the municipality contracted in to audit municipal bookkeeping. "Poor quality of the underlying data, coupled with no project management and or monitoring of the consultants work, limited their impact and effectiveness on quality financial reporting". (Read provincial overview KZN 2021)
The Auditor General is telling us the municipal bookkeeping is unreliable! John Venediger
eThekwini debt has surged to R35 billion
"The eThekwini municipality's debt has reached R35 billion, a figure that raises significant concerns.
The DA has called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the municipality's financial management to understand the causes of this substantial increase.
It's crucial to determine whether this is due to systemic issues, administrative errors, or other factors, ensuring accountability and safeguarding resources intended for service delivery and development in KwaZulu-Natal."
It is essential to ensure that funds intended for the upliftment of communities in KwaZulu-Natal are being utilized effectively and responsibly."
eThekwini Municipality’s irregular expenditure reached a staggering R2,4 billion in the 2022/2023 financial year, leading the national list of municipal offenders, according to the Auditor-General’s (A-G) office.
Leo Saunders is the managing director of Integrity Forensic Solutions (IFS). He has been involved in several high-profile forensic investigations in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal. One notable case includes his work on the corruption probe involving former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede1. Saunders has also been vocal about challenges and alleged sabotage in prosecuting these cases.
This is the third attempt to deal with the problems in Durban municipality. Each time, they get it wrong. They ignore what the Auditor General has been telling us.
That the problem is with the money going missing within the municipality and local government departments. They are blaming the black contactors for harassing the municipality and blaming them for crime ???. Mr. president?
Sir, you are not paying attention to the real problem. IT IS CORRUPTION WITHIN THE MUNICIPLITY AND LOCAL GOVERMENT DEPARTMENTS. DEAL WITH IT. OR IT WILL NEVER GO AWAY.
If we do not do something it means that thousand of mothers and there children will live next to a sewer and in a tin shanty with a dirt floor. And we all know what happens in the winter time. The mother lights up the paraffin cooker for warmth. And with 5 kids huddle around the primus one of them kicks over the paraffin burner in the early hour's of the morning and the inside of the tin shanti that is now locked to keep out the thieves who might break in to steal the bread and the blankets start burning. Hopefully one of the neighbors hears the screaming and comes to the rescue by tipping over the tiny tin house on its side. Sir, Mr. President. It really is a choice of supporting the mothers or allowing the corrupt to have there way. Make a stand boss.
News24:- A presidential working group has been appointed to sort out the ongoing governance failures in the eThekwini Municipality, while SA Tourism finally has a new full board.
These are two of the outcomes of Cabinet's meeting on Wednesday.
Thulani Ntobela, the City integrity and investigations unit (CIIU) head, was speaking on the city’s communication platform, eThekwini Matters.
The head of eThekwini Municipality’s anti-corruption unit has raised concerns about the failure to act against those the unit has flagged for allegations of wrongdoing, saying this undermines the fight against corruption.
The head of eThekwini Municipality’s anti-corruption unit has raised concerns about the failure to act against those the unit has flagged for allegations of wrongdoing, saying this undermines the fight against corruption.
Thulani Ntobela, the City’s integrity and investigations unit (CIIU) head, was speaking on the City’s communication platform, eThekwini Matters.
Speaking on the City’s success when it comes to dealing with the cases before it, Ntobela said it was difficult to measure the success when the recommendations of the unit were not implemented.
“Success is a difficult word because our success depends on how the people take our recommendations forward.
“For us to say we have made some findings, recommendations are not a success if the perpetrator is not put in jail, or is still an employee of the municipality and has not been dismissed, nor remedial steps were taken.
Ntobela said some managers simply provided reasons why the recommendation could not be implemented, even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
“In some cases we open a case and the police investigation takes long, until we lose track of that case. We look and cry as (our cases fail).”
Speaking on the cases that the unit has resolved, Ntobela revealed that when he started there a few months ago, the unit was still dealing with cases dating back to 2017 that had not been concluded.
“We had cases of 2017, 2018, 2019. The negative impact that those cases have is that it does not yield any results when you successfully solve them because they have been subjected to prescription.
“You cannot go and recover the money because its been more than three years. That was my focus, to say, let’s clean all the backlog so we can focus on the current and the future.”
He said to date the unit had dealt with cases from 2017 and were now halfway with cases from 2019, and hopefully by January they would be dealing with cases from 2020 onwards.
DA leader in eThekwini Thabani Mthethwa said the city manager should account for lack of consequence management in the municipality.
He said if heads of department do not act on CIIU recommendations, then the city manager must act.
John Venediger :- The Zandili Gumede's case is a sideshow. A distraction. Chump change (meaning it is a small, insignificant amount). We are not looking for the 100's. We are also not looking for the 1000's of rand's gone missing or even the millions! WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE BILLIONS OF Rand THAT HAS GONE MISSING AT THIS MUNICIPLAITY. This municipality should have nothing to do with the investigation or the prosecution. You cannot have the same organization investigating corruption within its own ranks. There are to many forces in the municipality working against those who wish to uphold the law.
Good News.
There is a new Sheriff in Durban Town.
Question for Google Bard Ai, tell me about corruption at the Durban eThekwini municipality
Question for Google Bard Ai, tell me about corruption at the Durban eThekwini municipality
Corruption within the eThekwini Municipality, also known as the Durban Municipality, has been a persistent and concerning issue for many years. Here's an overview of the situation:
Types of corruption:
Procurement irregularities: Inflated tenders, bid rigging, and awarding contracts to close associates are some of the common ways public funds are misappropriated. A recent example is the R600 million in tenders awarded to a fraud-accused businessman allegedly linked to former mayor Zandile Gumede.
Fraud: Embezzlement, ghost projects, and falsification of documents are used to siphon off money meant for public services. In October 2023, several officials were suspended for their involvement in a R17 million housing project fraud scheme.
Abuse of power: Officials may use their positions for personal gain, such as extorting bribes or manipulating appointments.
Impact of corruption:
Financial losses: Millions of Rands are diverted away from essential services like healthcare, education, and infrastructure, hindering development and impacting the quality of life for residents.
Erosion of trust: Public faith in government institutions is undermined, leading to apathy and decreased civic engagement.
Unequal development: Corruption often benefits the wealthy and well-connected at the expense of the most vulnerable communities.
Efforts to combat corruption:
The City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU): Established within the municipality, the CIIU investigates allegations of corruption and maladministration. However, its effectiveness has been questioned due to concerns about political interference and resource constraints.
Civil society organizations: Several NGOs and watchdog groups are actively monitoring and reporting on corruption within the municipality.
Law enforcement agencies: The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Hawks are investigating various corruption cases involving the municipality.
Recent developments:
Resignation of CIIU head: The recent resignation of the CIIU head amid allegations of threats has raised concerns about the safety of those fighting corruption within the municipality.
Ongoing investigations: Several high-profile corruption cases, including the trial of former mayor Zandile Gumede, are currently underway.
Overall, the fight against corruption in the eThekwini Municipality is a complex and ongoing challenge. While there have been some positive steps, much remains to be done to effectively address this deeply rooted problem.
Here are some additional resources you may find helpful:
eThekwini Municipality City Integrity and Investigations Unit: https://www.durban.gov.za/mayors-blog/Rooting+out+fraud+and+corruption
Corruption Watch South Africa: https://www.corruptionwatch.org.za/
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Anti-Corruption Portal: https://www.oecd.org/corruption-integrity/
I hope this information is helpful. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
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I asked Bing Ai who is Thulani Ntobela?
1. Hello, this is Bing. I can help you find some information about Thulani Ntobela, the interim head of the city integrity and investigation unit (CIIU) in Durban, South Africa.
2. According to the web search results, Thulani Ntobela is a former provincial police commissioner of Mpumalanga and a former provincial head of detectives in the Western Cape 12. He has an LLB degree from the University of South Africa and a B.Juris degree from the University of Zululand 1. He is also an admitted advocate of the High Court.
3. He was appointed by the eThekwini municipality to lead the CIIU for six months, starting from August 7, 2023 12. The CIIU is responsible for investigating corruption and fraud in the city administration 1. The previous head of the unit, Mbuso Ngcobo, resigned after surviving three assassination attempts, allegedly linked to his role as a whistleblower in the case against former mayor Zandile Gumede 1.
4. Ntobela has a wealth of experience in forensic investigations, having worked as the CEO of iFirm Trading and Projects, a forensic investigations company 1. He has conducted investigations into various cases of fraudulent procurement, including roads, classrooms, and Covid-19 related supplies 1.
5. Ntobela said he prides himself on conducting quality investigations without fear or favor 1. He also said he improved the performance of the Mpumalanga police from the worst to the second best in the country during his tenure as the provincial commissioner 1.
I hope this information helps you learn more about Thulani Ntobela. If you want to read the full articles, you can click this link.
Assignment No 1 Mayor, Contact the German embassy in South Africa and ask them if you may visit Germany and have a meeting with there department of education. Kindly explain to the German ambassador that we are planning on establishing / developing education facilities in KwaZulu Natal that will offer trade school and colleges education plus accommodation to local and southern neighboring states that will offer higher education learning and skills training to young South Africans and our neighboring states. And would they like to participate in this program.
Latest:- eThekwini municipality may need to go into administration management. We demand that the finance managers be held accountable.
Durban Mayor Thomas Kaunda
Sir, we would like you to attend to the problems of "irregular spending" at our KZN municipalities. Here is your plan of action.
Contact the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations.
Show them the Auditor Generals' financial statements for Kwazulu-Natal and ask them to recover the R 44 billion rand in irregular spending.
Explain to them that you need the money to improve service delivery in our province of KwaZulu-Natal.
We believe that Mayor Thomas Kaunda is unsuitable for the job and does not have what it takes to bring new investment, More jobs, and prosperity and corruption recovery to out province. We need dynamic, university educated and convincing leadership. We are tired of the ANC putting cadre, friends in leadership positions. Our province is a disaster and Mayor Thomas did lead the way. The ANC leadership are comfortable, cozy, well fed and protected while the rest of their citizens struggle. Sometimes we think he is the "buffer" for the corrupt and he stands in the way of recovering stolen government money. Kaunda must go. Vote for the DA Democratic Alliance for our province.
How are we going to recover the R75 billion rand irregular spending ?
If the departments of municipality / government don’t first deal with past irregular spending and recovery then they may not be able to deal with that in the future. There is R75 billion Rand at stake. And we owe it to the citizens of KwaZulu Natal to recover that money.
Cadre deployment is the worst thing to happen to our country.
Appointing people with no know-how, skills and experience to go and run very sophisticated pillars / institutions of the country like Eskom, Danel with no other qualification but being an ANC cadre to the corrupt ANC leadership.
Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke says :- Durban municipality PERPETUAL failure to respect the rule of law and a lack of disciplinary action against errant officials were among the reasons that led to KwaZulu-Natal incurring the country’s highest rate of irregular expenditure, at R9.75 billion, the auditor-general has found.
A warning to the accounting officers:- AGSA:- “We have been clear from the start that we will not hesitate to implement our expanded powers if accounting officers and authorities do not deal with material irregularities with the required urgency. In cases where accountability has failed, we have responded accordingly. In this regard we have taken this matter a notch further, by issuing the first-ever remedial action to enforce accountability,” says Maluleke. Read 2021 Media release
AGSA :- This refers to any non-compliance with, or contravention of, legislation, or fraud, theft or a breach of a fiduciary duty identified during an audit performed under the Public Audit Act that resulted in, or is likely to result in, a material financial loss, the misuse or loss of a material public resource, or substantial harm to a public sector institution or the general public.
Durban Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda Was not truthful to the public. And we suspect that he neglected to properly read the financial statements. Mxolisi needs to pull up his socks.
Mayor Mxolisi tells the citizens that "irregular spending" for the year 2019 came to R 2.3 billion rand. WRONG.
That should be R 12.4 billion rand according to the AGSA the province of KZN irregular expenditure is the highest of all the provinces and more than that of national government.
Mr Ravigasen Ranganathan "Ravi" Pillay
Mr. Ravi Pillay has served as the MEC for Finance in the Provincial Government of KwaZulu-Natal for 20 years, and he would have set the standard in our province that corruption, contempt for the people, and irregular spending will not be investigated. The senior staff of the municipality followed, knowing that there backs were covered and there disgraceful conduct would go unchallenged.
Ravi Pillay and Krish Kumar were the financial officers, and it is they who are responsible for the irregular spending now at R60 billion and the high level of corruption that is breeding such terrible violence in our province.
These two gentlemen must undergo a lifestyle audit, and there wealth must be made known to the citizens. And if so required, the money must be returned to the people.
CFO Mr. Krish Kumar We demand that Mr. Krish Kumar undergo a lifestyle audit and that his tax affairs be made available to the citizens of KwaZulu Natal. We expect that the SARS commissioner, Mr. Edward Kieswetter, will cooperate with us and make those statements available to the public. The reason we request this information is because the Auditor General SA tells us that over the years, 60 billion rand in irregular spending happened on Mr. Kumar's watch. And we want the money returned. Irregular spending should be no more than a few thousand rand each year.
These gentleman are government-paid officials and are there to serve the people, and we expect them to do right by the people. We do absolutely not want these two finance managers in our local government. They have shown us there contempt for the citizens and there extreme abuse of the struggling finances in our province.
Premier Sihle Zikalala
AGSA tells us the premier's office auditees failed to produce accurate financial statements. And we believe that this is how corruption in municipal finances is covered up. Office of the Premier. Auditees failed to produce accurate financial statements.
Quote "The premier’s office, provincial legislature, and Public Works regressed to qualified opinions.
These regressions confirmed that vital controls such as record management, adherence to policies and procedures, and diligent implementation of action plans, as well as key reviews and reconciliations, deteriorated during the year.". Unquote.
Many bookkeepers did not do there job. It sound like they were "cooking the books.
It is this municipal leadership that is largely responsible for the high level of corruption and the violence that it breeds in our province. They have adorned themselves with luxury living and, at the same time, inflicted the most terrible fear and suffering on the people of this province. It was not enough for this municipality to steal the breadcrumbs from under the tables of the poorest in our community. They also wanted blood. Hence the killing of 350 citizens who we pledged to raise there standard of living. We the People stand by the Auditor general who says the leadership of this municipality must be fixed.
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