Mokgalapa recording: Tshwane mayor must 'fall on his sword', says ANC
25 November 2019
The ANC has called on Tshwane Mayor Stevens Mokgalapa to "fall on his sword" after an audio recording, purportedly of him and transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge engaging in an intimate act, was leaked.
News24 reported on Sunday that in the recording, which was widely circulated on social media, the two office bearers can be heard discussing their colleagues in the council before allegedly becoming intimate with one another.
The ANC in Tshwane said they were not shocked by the recording and were also certain that the audio clip was authentic and revealed that Mokgalapa is "clearly having sex with [his] direct subordinate, MMC of Roads and Transport Sheila Senkubuge".
"The ANC has no business with whatever DA politicians and their public representatives do in their private lives," ANC Tshwane chairperson Dr Kgosi Maepa said.
"What we deem not to be acceptable, is for the executive mayor of a capital city, a political head of the City, to engage in unsavoury sexual activities with fellow executive members and others during working hours and in municipal offices, then claim distortion and blackmail."
Maepa said the actions of the office bearers are against the code of conduct of councillors and the City council's "yellow rule and orders book".
He added that that the ANC would be seeking legal advice on the course of action and appropriate procedure to be followed in the council.
"So that there is consequence management meted to both the executive mayor and MMC by council, we view this in a very serious light."
Maepa added that they would be supplying "blue condoms" to the mayor, MMCs and DA councillors at the Tshwane council sitting on Thursday.
"The ANC [advises] the executive mayor to do the honourable thing and fall on his sword. We also think the DA must replace him immediately if he doesn't resign himself, that's if they still care about their reputation as a party."
Mokgalapa and Senkubuge, responded to the audio recording, saying that they viewed the leak in a very serious light.
"Not only is it illegal to obtain such in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, it is also being used as a tool to blackmail and extort undue favours from the City of Tshwane," mayoral spokesperson Omogolo Taunyane said in a statement.
"Threats to release the recording have been communicated to us via an intermediary wherein certain demands have been made," Mokgalapa said.
He added that the demands included the reinstatement of four officials who were suspended for violations of the Municipal Finance Management Act and other relevant statutes governing the conduct of officials of the municipality.
"We have both refused to give in to the demands of these individuals who are hell bent on seeing us break the law to give them easy passage back into the municipality. This is despite the serious nature of the allegations they are facing. We will not sacrifice our oaths of office and betray the trust that the people of Tshwane have placed in us," Mokgalapa said.
Mokgalapa also opened a case of extortion and blackmail.
