NOXOLO NQWAZI

Nelson Mandela Bay City Manager Noxolo Nqwazi Image: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Facebook

EFF want NMB city manager gone

‘There will therefore be no peaceful council in the NMB until such a point that Noxolo Nqwazi is removed as the City Manager’-EFF

NOXOLO NQWAZI

Nelson Mandela Bay City Manager Noxolo Nqwazi Image: Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Facebook

Just a week into the newly formed ANC-EFF lead coalition in Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. the Economic Freedom Fighters have called for the axing of City Manager Noxolo Nqwazi due to her involvement in a R24million toilet tender corruption case.

Nqwazi was arrested last September by the Hawks alongside the regional secretary of the ANC, Luyolo Ngqakula, suspended metro housing director, Mvuleni Mapu and three former DA councillors, Victor Manyati, Trevor Louw and Neville Higgins and two business people.

All were released on R5000 bail.

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SIU REPORT

According to the SIU report into irregular procurement during the COVID-19 Pandemic Nqwazi in her capacity as the Acting City Manager at the time appointed HT Pelatona Projects to build 2,000 toilets and 2,000 standpipes in informal settlements. However,only 200 toilets were built.

The order of the toilets was made under the pretense of emergency procurement as provided by the emergency procurement regulations,therefore flouting regular tender processes.

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However, only 200 of the toilets which were procured for an amount of R24.6 million were delivered.

EFF WANT NQWAZI’s HEAD

“Nqwazi has not only been identified as a corrupt element in the municipality by the SIU and the Hawks, but most recently by the office of the Public Protector in the Eastern Cape, which has equally questioned the council as to why the City Manager has not at the very least been suspended on the basis of the accusations against her of corruption”, the party said in a statement.

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“Her continued presence allows her to corrupt and compromise witnesses against her which serve in the council, but also poses the risk of her continuing with the corruption that the Hawks has charged her with.”

In March the Gqeberha High Court dismissed the City’s bid to have the SIU’s report reviewed and set aside. But

In his judgement Acting Judge Rosaan Kruger says “the challenge to the report was based simply on its [the municipality’s] aversion or dislike of its findings … That is not a reason for the report to be set aside.”

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