West Rand Mayor spins on VBS Bank forensic report

9 July 2019

Remarks made in the press by the Mayor for the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM), Diteko Moreotsenye, paint a distorted picture of the investigation into the municipality's illegal investments with VBS Bank.

The DA had filed an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain a copy of the forensic investigation into the VBS Bank investments made by the municipality.

Our application was denied on the grounds that doing so would jeopardize sensitive personal information of implicated individuals.

However, Mayor Moreotsenye indicated via the press that the contents of the report had been made available to WRDM Councillors.

He further went on to state that the recommendations contained in the report are being carried out.

DA Councillors in the municipality have indicated that this is not the case, and that the a brief synopsis of the report was presented to them orally by the appointed auditors.

The Mayor’s response clearly contradicts the reasons for denying the PAIA application.

As Members of the Gauteng Legislature, it is our responsibility to ensure that prudent financial management is exercised in our ailing district municipalities and those who abuse the public purse are held to account.

It is highly likely that the contents of this report implicate individuals close to the Mayor, and as a result, he wishes to keep the report under wraps.

We have appealed the decision to reject our PAIA application. Should this appeal be rejected, we will seek legal advice as to the steps required to obtain the report.

Residents of the WRDM have the right to know where their money went and what action will be taken to ensure that those implicated in this scandal face the full might of the law.

Issued by Ina Cilliers, DA Standing Committee on Public Accounts Member, 9 July 2019