Story audio is generated using AI
Officials involved in a R1.3m spending saga at the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality could be forced to repay the funds after the municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) recommended recovering the money from those responsible.
The recommendation follows an investigation into a series of events and programmes held between August 2024 and March 2025, which Mpac found were funded through expenditure that may have been irregular, unauthorised or incurred without following proper municipal procurement processes.
The municipal public accounts committee met on Monday.
It recommended that the city claw back the money spent on events commemorating Human Rights Day in 2025 and International Anti-Corruption Day in 2024, logistics for a public meeting in March 2025, and a public viewing of the Eastern Cape state of the province address in February 2025.
It also includes a Freedom Day event in 2025, loud-hailing services between November and December 2024 and the official opening of the provincial legislature in August 2024.
Reading out the resolution, acting city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo said the committee had made three recommendations.
“Mpac recommends a recovery of the funds,” Ngoqo said.
“Mpac recommends that individuals who are involved be allowed to state their case in writing and be afforded that opportunity by the acting city manager and that the matter be referred to the disciplinary board by the acting city manager, or his successor, for further disposition of this matter and a report-back to Mpac ...”
The matter, discussed behind closed doors, was first referred to Mpac in December when the speaker’s office requested that the committee approve the write-off of expenditure incurred for the 2025 Human Rights Day commemoration.
According to a report presented for Human Rights Day, which set the city back by R442,152, an instruction was received from the provincial office for sport, recreation, arts and culture on February 19 2025, requesting that the metro assist with the Human Rights Day event on March 21.
“The deviation request was prepared for the approval of the acting city manager with a memorandum dated March 24 2025.”
The instruction given was for the city to assist with loud-hailing services, catering, transportation and a PA system for the event held at the Derrick Ferreira Stadium in Kariega.
The event was attended by sports minister Gayton McKenzie, justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, premier Oscar Mabuyane, deputy president Paul Mashatile, and survivors and families of the victims of the KwaLanga Massacre.
In a memo dated March 24 2025, director in the speaker’s office, Dumisani Mbebe, wrote that the office had heeded a call from the office of mayor Babalwa Lobishe and the then-acting city manager, Ted Pillay, to assist in hosting the commemoration.
The memo was tabled at the committee in December.
However, a trail of warnings from municipal officials found that the metro should not foot the bill as the expenditure could be irregular.
Mbebe had previously said he came under political pressure to secure funding for the city’s Human Rights Day commemoration.
On the Anti-Corruption Day held on December 4 2025, the metro spent R99,450.
The report states that the city manager received a directive from the mayor’s office instructing the administration to proceed with preparations for the programme to be held at the Lillian Ngoyi Multi-purpose Centre.
“The instruction was given only two days before the event due to a short turnaround time,” the report said.
“The supply chain management processes could not be followed, resulting in the unauthorised expenditure.”
A similar trend followed for the other events.
Speaking on the matter, ANC councillor Luzuko Peter said the officials should be allowed to respond to the allegations.
“Now, I want to give officials a platform where they answer for themselves,” Peter said.
“Before we make any determination, we must get both sides of the story.
“I’m not contrary to recovering the money that is lost, nor am I contrary to writing it off.
“I can’t decide because I don’t have a balanced story.”
EFF councillor Siya Mosi said the committee was exhausting itself but should rather allow the process to unfold.
“I’m sure one of the processes [will be that] the accounting officers and everyone that is supposed to be involved will account, and then we’ll get a true reflection.
“I’m moving for us to allow the processes to unfold.”
Mpac chair Luxolo Namette agreed about allowing processes to unfold and that officials be allowed to respond.
ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom said the goal of getting written responses was for the committee to ascertain how many officials were involved in the chain of events which led to the expenditure.
Ngoqo said he would write to implicated officials, requesting a response within seven days on how the expenditure was incurred.
Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world.
