- The Cape Coloured Congress has opened a case of fraud against officials in the City of Cape Town.
- The party has alleged corruption within the fleet management directorate.
- The City said a preliminary investigation found no evidence to corroborate claims and recommended no further action.
The Cape Coloured Congress (CCC) has opened a case of fraud against officials in the City of Cape Town, alleging corruption within the fleet management department.
CCC leader Fadiel Adams said the information he uncovered was provided to him by a senior official of the directorate.
“We approached the mayor with this information, and we sought clarity on this, and the mayor informed us that there is a forensic investigation in this,” he said.
Adams alleged that he received confidential documents showing tender and employment irregularities in the department.
The fleet management department procures the vehicles on behalf of and for the benefit of other departments.
Adams alleged there was fraud amounting to around R500 million and some six irregular appointments were made within the directorate.
He said:
We took it upon ourselves to lay a complaint with the police. We are confident that whatever the forensic investigation is going to find, ratepayers will not know about it.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that a case of fraud was opened on Tuesday.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident cited are still under investigation. Reports suggested that the complainant, a 46-year-old man, received information from an unknown source of irregularities at his place of employment. Cape Town central police are investigating a case of fraud,” he said.
But the City said they could find no basis for the fraud allegations.
Luthando Tyhalibongo, the City’s spokesperson, said the City completed a preliminary investigation following receipt of anonymous allegations in April regarding fleet management.
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“This preliminary investigation found no evidence to corroborate the main claims and recommended no further action. Further claims around staff appointments processes are still being looked into,” he said.
Tyhalibongo said the allegations were made anonymously and without any corroborating evidence.
“Should anyone wish to submit any actual evidence, they should please do so rather than repeating unsubstantiated allegations. Regarding the City’s practice of purchasing service plans for fleet vehicles, it is misguided and incorrect to allege that this is wasteful,” he said.
Tyhalibongo added that the City had a zero-tolerance approach towards any form of corruption and followed due process in any instance where an irregularity was found.