A storm of controversy is brewing in the City of Gold, with allegations of nepotism and corruption rocking the ANC's grip on key city-owned entities. Whispers of a blatant disregard for transparency and accountability are swirling around Pikitup, the city's waste management company, and Johannesburg Water, the entity responsible for supplying the city's residents with water.
The allegations claim that the ANC has effectively "captured" these entities, using its influence to install relatives in positions of power, even for seemingly mundane roles.
"It used to be the high-paying jobs that ANC leaders used to influence in favour of their members or relatives," a senior city official, who requested anonymity, told the Mail & Guardian. "It now seems like general worker positions that pay R15 000 a month are also not exempt from the ANC’s interference."
The official's words paint a picture of a deeply entrenched system of patronage, where the ANC appears to be using its political clout to secure positions for its members and their families, regardless of merit or qualifications.
At the heart of the Pikitup scandal lies Maxwell Nedzamba, the ANC's Johannesburg regional treasurer and chairperson of the Pikitup board. Nedzamba, a prominent figure within the regional party leadership, is accused of having three relatives employed as general workers at Pikitup depots, despite their names not appearing on the official list of applicants.
Adding fuel to the fire, travel logs from Pikitup reveal that a company vehicle was used to collect Nedzamba's family members from Johannesburg Park Station after their arrival from Limpopo. A highly placed Pikitup source, who also requested anonymity, indicated that the driver, Stanley Minnie, was unaware of the passengers he was collecting.
"Stanley arrived at Park Station and saw people with heavy luggage that he had to drop off in Diepsloot," the source said.
This incident, coupled with the allegations of nepotism, has raised serious concerns about the integrity of Pikitup's recruitment process and the potential for abuse of power.
The allegations extend beyond Nedzamba, with Kagiso Lusithi, Pikitup's general manager for security and facilities, and Dumisani Langa, the employment relations general manager, also accused of having relatives employed at the company without applying for the positions.
The controversy surrounding Pikitup is further exacerbated by the reappointment of Litshani Matsila, the company's chief financial officer, who was previously found guilty of "grossly dishonest" conduct and losing R1.3 billion through "fraud and corruption" during a forensic investigation.
Despite the damning findings, Matsila was reinstated by the new board, chaired by Nedzamba, and subsequently given a fresh four-year contract.
In a statement defending Matsila's reappointment, Nedzamba and Pikitup's managing director, Bukelwa Njingolo, claimed that the findings of the November 2022 forensic investigation were "nullified" due to procedural irregularities. They further stated that a new investigation commissioned by the board exonerated Matsila.
However, the news crew has seen invoices and payment details that corroborate the findings of the November 2022 report, while Nedzamba and Njingolo have not provided details of the new investigation.
The allegations of nepotism and corruption at Pikitup are not isolated incidents. They are mirrored at Johannesburg Water, where Sasabona Manganye, the ANC's Johannesburg region secretary, is implicated in alleged nepotism regarding the chief operations officer position.
Manganye is accused of exerting pressure on the Johannesburg Water board to appoint Gugulethu Phakathi, a former board chairperson and active member of the ANC in Johannesburg, to the position.
Notes from an ANC regional executive committee meeting detail concerns about Manganye's alleged interference in the appointment process, with members expressing alarm at his attempts to "smuggle in" Phakathi's appointment without proper discussion.
"Phakathi’s appointment was dismissed outright because of the water troubles in the city. When he [Manganye] failed to smuggle in Phakathi’s appointment, he went directly to the [Johannesburg Water] board members, who pushed officials in the entity to advertise the post, which had as its minimum requirement an NQF level eight," a source within the regional executive committee revealed.
The allegations against Manganye have sparked an internal investigation by the ANC in Johannesburg, although the party's spokesperson, Masilo Serekele, denied the existence of such an investigation.
"There have never been any ANC regional meetings, which discussed any appointments into municipal entities," Serekele said, dismissing the allegations as a "cheap political agenda".
The revelations of alleged corruption and nepotism at Pikitup and Johannesburg Water have cast a dark shadow over the ANC's leadership in Johannesburg, raising serious questions about its commitment to good governance and transparency.
The ANC's grip on the city is further weakened by the recent political developments, with the party's candidate for mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, facing opposition from ActionSA, a party that previously vowed never to work with the ANC.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, in a surprising turn of events, announced that his party would support the ANC's candidate for mayor, citing Gwamanda's lack of capacity for the position.
"It’s the current mayor [Gwamanda] that we do not want, this job is way beyond his capacity. We are not going to dictate who the ANC must put forward. The only thing we said to the ANC is that please give us someone who can serve the residents of Johannesburg," Mashaba said.
