By Staff Reporter
The Makana Municipality says it welcomes investigations into its affairs by both the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Public Protector.
A team from the Public Protector’s office visited the municipality on Monday and SIU investigators arrived at City Hall a day later.
In a media statement yesterday, the municipality welcomed the visits and endorsed the two bodies’ investigations.
“The leadership of Makana Municipality started the week on a high note, with visits from two Chapter 9 Institutions,” read the statement from spokesperson, Anele Mjekula.
Mjekula said the municipality welcomed the Office of the Public Protector on Monday, 28 October 2024.
This was followed by a visit from the SIU on Tuesday, 29, October.
“The Office of the Public Protector met with councillors and officials from Makana Municipality as well as from the Sarah Baartman District Municipality. The Executive Mayor of Makana Municipality, Cllr Yandiswa Vara, as well as the Sarah Baartman District Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Deon De Vos, were present in the meeting along with the mayoral committee members from both municipalities.”
According to the statement, the Office of the Public Protector’s visit was based on three important matters.
The first issue was to raise awareness about the work of the Office of the Public Protector. It was also about the office’s intentions to strengthen its relationship with Makana.h
The visit was also to follow up on issues relating to water, sanitation and roads in the municipality.
Mjekula explained that remedial actions taken by the Office of the Public Protector included Report 25 of 2023/24.
The report requires the municipality to ‘ensure sustainable, affordable, equitable and quality services in a just, friendly secure and healthy environment, which promotes social and economic growth for all.…a great place to be’.
The Public Protector also addressed a systemic investigation into allegations of lack of provision of essential services as well as basic infrastructure in rural Eastern Cape villages by various organs of state.
The Public Protector wanted to see interventions implemented in other local municipalities spread through to Makana as well. This is in regard to water supply.
The Public Protector South Africa encouraged state organs to report complaints to the office.
“We encourage executive mayors and local mayors to ask for our interventions where problems arise, rather than being seen as an enemy, we should be seen as a resource that can be tapped into to help restore quality public service delivery and good governance.”
Vara welcomed the presentation and gave comprehensive feedback to the issues reported to the office, the statement said.
The office acknowledged verbal feedback from Vara and requested written feedback by today. The Public Protector asked continuous feedback on the issues.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a three-member team from the SIU also arrived at the City Hall and met with Vara, mayoral committee members and municipal officials,, says the statement from the municipality.
“The purpose of the visit was to introduce themselves to the political arm of the municipality and to confirm what was contained in the proclamation signed by the President of the Republic of South Africa as far as the investigation is concerned.”
Mjekula said the meeting touched not only on the investigation, but also on how the process would unfold and for how long the investigation would be.
“The proclamation covers allegations of unlawful and improper conduct that occurred between 1 January 2019 and 18 October 2024, as well as any related activities before 1 January 2019 and after the date of the proclamation that is pertinent to the matters under investigation or involves the same persons, entities, or contracts. Makana Municipality has welcomed the investigation and committed itself to cooperate and give all the necessary support to the SIU.”
According to the statement, Vara said the municipality would comply with information requests. “We believe that the investigation will also assist the municipality in terms of getting to the bottom of a number of unresolved issues. It was agreed at the meeting that the SIU team will come back to Makana Municipality to address the full sitting of Council, so that both the political and the management components of the municipality would know about how the investigation will be conducted.”
