NATIONAL NEWS - Suspended Ugu District municipal manager, DD Naidoo, has opened a case of alleged theft of municipal funds to the tune of R300 million from the Ugu District Municipality bank account.
This comes at a time when many areas on the coast are without water, due to the sabotage of Ugu infrastructure.
Mr Naidoo registered his case at Port Shepstone Saps on 24 November.
This was the on same day he was served with a letter advising him of his precautionary suspension, a decision made at a council meeting.
Mr Naidoo hand-delivered a copy of his own statement and the affidavit to the Herald offices on Tuesday this week.
His registering of this case comes on the back of a 236 page report commissioned by the provincial Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
“In matters of public interest involving public funds, we must ensure accountability and, accordingly, we should await the outcome of the investigation so that those implicated, if any, may be held accountable,” he said.
He hoped law enforcement agencies would deal with this matter speedily, so that all could be appraised of the facts surrounding the very serious allegations.
The report has linked senior officials, the municipal manager, and firms contracted to Ugu to irregular expenditure, amounting to millions of rands, plus fraudulent conduct, financial misconduct and the payment of ghost employees.
The report also found, among other things, that an official siphoned R300 million from the municipality’s bank account.
