SCOPA has launched a comprehensive investigation into the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, focusing on project management failures, financial accountability, and serious allegations of misconduct, including sexual harassment and recruitment fraud.
Image: eThekwini Municipality / Facebook
The eThekwini Municipality has been instructed to investigate a range of alleged acts of corruption and improper conduct within its administration, with Mayor Cyril Xaba expected to provide the entity’s responses to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Monday.
The directive was issued in a letter penned by Scopa chairperson Songezo Zibi, requesting detailed feedback from the municipality on several matters under scrutiny.
Among the issues raised was the stalled Namibia 8 Housing Project in Inanda, which has come under scrutiny over the awarding of the contract and other aspects linked to the development.
The project, initiated around 2015, saw residents relocated to transit camps in 2019. To date, it has reportedly cost more than R146 million.
Scopa also requested answers relating to sexual misconduct allegations levelled against a senior manager by a colleague who is also a high-ranking municipal official. The manager was cleared of wrongdoing after the municipality appointed an independent investigator to probe the allegations.
The committee further requested details on the municipality’s top 10 water tanker service providers, including work orders issued over the past five years and the ownership structures of those companies.
“A detailed update regarding the Namibia 8 Housing Project on what transpired and the consequence management, along with a detailed report on the sanitation project, which dates back to 2019, focusing on the bidding process and service providers attached to the contract; the current status of the sanitation project; the anticipated date for its completion; as well as the reasons for the delay in concluding the project,” read part of Scopa’s letter.
The municipality was also expected to provide clarity on the payment status of various service providers and outline steps being taken to resolve disputes.
The financial implications of the projects, including the total costs incurred, were also expected to come under scrutiny.
Another issue flagged by Scopa related to the employment of the wife of a senior municipal official. The committee wants to establish the legitimacy of the appointment and determine whether there were any potential conflicts of interest in the recruitment process.
Scopa also wants a closer examination of how the municipality handled the sexual misconduct allegations against the senior manager, which relate to an alleged incident in June 2025.
“A detailed report on the sexual allegations against the senior official, how the allegations were handled; which law firm was appointed to investigate the matter; who appointed the law firm; and the costs incurred by the municipality; whether the same law firm has done any other work for the municipality prior to this appointment; and who authorised the appointment and payment of the law firm,” were among the issues raised in the letter.
Questions were also raised about the city’s R60 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure for the 2024/25 financial year, with Scopa requesting detailed breakdowns of payment records and interest charges incurred.
Allegations of recruitment fraud within the ranks of the metro police service were also under investigation.
The municipality has been instructed to provide details on ongoing investigations and explain the checks and balances in place to ensure integrity in recruitment processes.
SCOPA further requested comprehensive information on funded but vacant posts within the municipality, as well as reports on matters referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) or Labour Court during the last financial year, including outcomes and financial implications.
The committee also demanded details on all employee suspensions and allegations against staff members, including the status of each matter, the duration of suspensions and associated costs.
Mayor Xaba’s spokesperson, Mlungisi Khumalo, confirmed that the mayor had received the letter from Scopa, but declined to elaborate further on its contents.
“The mayor has an engagement with Scopa, but I cannot confirm the content of the letter,” Khumalo said.
Zibi also confirmed that correspondence had been sent to the municipality.
“Metros and key municipalities are a major component of our work until 2029, so nothing is particular to eThekwini Metro as such.
“We had Tshwane on Tuesday, Mangaung last week and BCM (Buffalo City Metro) in March.
“Metros account for more than 50% of the population, and it is important that they receive as much parliamentary oversight as other critical institutions like Transnet and Eskom,” Zibi said.
IFP councillor and eThekwini executive committee member Mdu Nkosi welcomed Scopa’s intervention, saying it provided the municipality with an opportunity to explain its projects and programmes.
He cited water and sanitation projects as examples of areas where the municipality was making significant progress.
“I believe that in that aspect, the municipality has got a lot to say. They have got a lot to submit because there are a lot of projects under way with regard to sanitation.
“That is why during the previous festive season you did not get negative publicity regarding sewer spillages into rivers and beaches. It is because there are projects of that nature targeting these issues,” he said.
Nkosi said the IFP believed in transparency and that the municipality’s appearance before SCOPA was part of ensuring accountability to the public.
“People need to know how we spent money and where we spent money,” he said.
DA caucus leader in eThekwini, Thabani Ndlovu, also welcomed Scopa’s move to seek clarity on the various matters.
“The ANC-led coalition in council continues to shield one another from accountability by providing vague answers and unsatisfactory reports.
“We will monitor this matter closely, as we have consistently pushed for greater transparency and more comprehensive answers in council,” said Ndlovu.
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