eThekwini Mayor and Municipal Manager must account for threats against A-G staff
The DA will write to the Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), Nelson Godi, requesting that he invites eThekwini mayor, Zandile Gumede, and the municipal manager, Philip Sithole, to come and account after staff from the Auditor General’s (A-G) office were withdrawn after receiving death threats.
The A-G is a statutory body that has a constitutional mandate to strengthen the country's democracy by enabling oversight, accountability and governance in the public sector through auditing of public finances.
As such, Parliament cannot stand by while the City of eThekwini is turned into the ‘wild west’ to the point where a constitutional body is unable to fulfill its functions without fear or favour.
The mayor and the municipal manager must explain:
- whether they were aware of the death threats being made against members of the A-G’s office and, if so, what steps they took to mitigate these threats;