IFP claims ANC is complicit in corruption at Nongoma Local Municipality

The IFP has accused the ANC of being complicit in the corruption allegedly taking place in Nongoma Local Municipality in the northern KwaZulu-Natal by keeping its Speaker, Babongile Sithole, despite facing charges of corruption.

Sithole was arrested and charged alongside mayor Mshangane Ndababandaba (NFP)  and his Deputy Sabelo Nkosi (EFF) for fraud and corruption in relation to a tender that was awarded by the municipality.

The EFF has since fired Nkosi but the ANC and NFP have kept their members in the positions.

The three parties are co-governing the rural municipality after no party managed to get enough majority to govern alone.

IFP Deputy Secretary-General Mangaqa Mncwango, who is a former mayor of the municipality, said it was surprising that the ANC allowed Sithole to come back and continue with her work as normal after being granted bail.

Mncwango added that this was more shocking because by allowing her, the ANC was violating its step-aside policy, which forces its officials or members to temporarily relinquish their positions pending the outcome of criminal cases.

“We do not understand why the ANC has not seen anything wrong in allowing Sithole in her position, as she faces serious charges like mismanagement of public funds. By doing so, the ANC is complicit in the crime allegedly committed by its member. It is more worrying that it has also violated its step-aside policy, which, by its admission, was created to protect the integrity of the party. The ANC must be consistent,” said Mncwango.

He further stated that the IFP had also expected the court to protect the integrity of the municipality by putting bail conditions that the accused should not return to their positions as they were likely to intimidate or tamper with evidence.

Mncwango said the return of the accused to run the municipality is akin to a rape suspect being released from jail to live with the victim.

In response, the ANC rejected any suggestion that it was complicit when dealing with serious matters of misconduct or corruption.

The ANC provincial spokesperson Fanle Sibisi said the party has established internal processes to address such issues, and in this particular case, those processes are currently under way.

“It is also important to state unequivocally that the ANC does not deploy its members to engage in any form of corruption. The organisation stands firm on the principles of integrity and accountability. Where allegations of wrongdoing arise, the ANC respects the rule of law and believes that due legal processes must take their course without interference," said Sibisi

The trio was arrested in November last year, together with two senior officials and a businessman, who the State alleged was awarded the tender fraudulently to supply services to the municipality, allegedly by the accused.

They are all out on bail.

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