City of Johannesburg Finance MMC, Rabelani Dagada has been removed from his position and placed on suspension.
Mayor Herman Mashaba says this is after a forensic investigation revealed a conflict of interest and price fixing with one of the city’s service providers.
Mashaba has replaced Dagada with former MMC of Development Planning, Funzela Ngobeni.
He says he will also be laying criminal charges against Dagada.
“The findings of the report left me with no option than to pursue this matter. I am sure everyone is aware when I took over as executive mayor of the City of Johannesburg with the deep level of corruption I have uncovered I have displayed corruption public enemy number one and I expect everyone acting and working with me to treat it as such,” says Mashaba.
On his Twitter account, Dagada refutes Mashaba’s statement saying that there has been an unrelenting witch-hunt against him.
In a number of tweets, he says there has been a lot of mud thrown at him and that all seven investigations against him have not been completed.
7. The courts and other properly constituted forums shall clear my name.
— Rabelani Dagada, PhD (@Rabelani_Dagada) January 15, 2018
5. It is not true that I put some officials under pressure to give tenders to my associates. What are those tenders for? They don’t exist.
— Rabelani Dagada, PhD (@Rabelani_Dagada) January 15, 2018
