City of Tshwane council Speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana has been accused of blocking political oversight meetings for keeping in check the work of the executive to avoid potential corruption.
DA caucus chief whip Ofentse Madzebatela cried foul over Ndzwanana’s conduct after only four oversight meetings had taken place since the appointment of chairpersons for the Section 79 standing and oversight committees in October 2024.
He warned that the lack of regular oversight meetings could create an environment conducive to unchecked corruption.
“Without oversight corruption seeps in, something that must be avoided at all costs if Tshwane is to stay the course,” he said.
He pointed fingers at Ndzwanana, saying he is “complicit in failing committee members and councillors the opportunity to hold the executive accountable”.
Ndzwanana, a sole councillor from the African Transformation Movement, was voted into office with the support of the EFF and the ANC in 2023.
He defeated ActionSA’s councillor Kholofelo Morodi after her main backers, the DA councillors’ votes, were declared invalid for using numbers instead of crosses to mark their votes.
After ActionSA formed a new coalition with the ANC and EFF last year, parties decided to keep him as council speaker.
Madzebatela pointed out that some meetings scheduled for this week don’t meet the legal requirement for advance notice of council or committee meetings.
“Furthermore, a committee so paramount to conducting oversight over the city’s municipal financial accountability and the watchdog of financial mismanagement – the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (Mpac) – had its last meeting on October 11, 2024. This is appalling,” he said.
According to him, the current administration remained steadfast on evading accountability.
He said the DA will fight to hold the government accountable “more importantly ensure that the city’s purse, its coffers, are not squandered recklessly”.
Ndzwanana’s spokesperson, Sthembiso Sithole, said: “The Speaker categorically denies the shallow allegations that his office is denying committee members and councillors the opportunity to hold the executive accountable.”
He labelled the claims against the Speaker as “misguided assertion”, saying “the Speaker, as the champion of oversight, is currently making sure that all the committees sit to provide a platform to hold the executive accountable”.
“Furthermore, it should also be noted that the council was on recess for the festive holidays with service delivery continuing. The allegations that the new administration is evading accountability and disregarding legislative processes are misleading and untrue,” he said.