Members of the DA took to the streets to demand the full Manase report into officials’ fraud and corruption, be released.
|||The DA staged two protests in the Durban area on Friday morning to highlight eThekwini officials’ ongoing failure to release the full Manase and Associates Report.
The protests were held at the corner of the R102 and Phoenix Highway, and the corner of the R102 and Mount Edgecombe Hospital, said the DA’s co-operative governance spokesman George Mari.
DA community operations manager Anil Singh said passing motorists had been hooting in support of the protest.
“When the robot turns red, we hand out flyers, which have also been well received.”
He said 15 people had gathered in accordance with the Riot Act, and they did not expect any more.
“We’re hoping to raise more awareness so that the full report will be released.”
Since the release of the summarised report in February by KZN Co-Operative Governance MEC Nomusa Dube, the DA has called on the municipality to make the contents of the report and its recommendations public, to no avail.
The closely guarded forensic report on alleged corruption, fraud, financial irregularities and maladministration in the municipality implicated top officials, including former mayor Obed Mlaba; former city manager Michael Sutcliffe; treasurer Krish Kumar; city manager for infrastructure Derek Naidoo; and the head of housing, Cogi Pather.
The report also found that 10 councillors and 123 municipal officials had been in business with the city, and recommended that action be taken by the metro council. The report also found widespread irregularities involving the flouting of tender procedures, a lack of budgetary controls and the abuse of overtime.
The full report was initially expected to be tabled at a council executive committee meeting, but that has not happened. - Daily News
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