EAST LONDON, March 29 (ANA) – The former Executive Mayor for the Buffalo City Metropolitan (BCM) Municipality, Zukisa Faku, was on Tuesday found guilty of nine counts of theft by the East London Magistrate court, the Directorate for priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) said.
Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Anelisa Feni said that in 2009 the former Executive Mayor used her official BCM credit card to purchase personal items while she was on official trips to Istanbul, Turkey and Gauteng.
“One of the items that she purchased was a leather jacket valued at about R4,000,” Feni said. “She spent close to R15,000 on clothing and fashion accessories.”
Faku, who was arrested in 2012, will be sentenced on May 17.
The opposition Democratic Alliance welcomed the verdict and said this followed a damning forensic report by Ernest & Young that found financial misconduct, wasteful expenditure and maladministration in the metro’s R1-billion Make-a-Difference (MAD) campaign.
DA spokesperson on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Kevin Mileham said attempts by the party to compel the public release of the report “was shelved by ANC councillors in BCM allowing Faku to escape accountability”.
The DA called on Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Des van Rooyen, to see that those implicated in wrongdoing, including Faku, were held to account for their actions.
“Faku is however only the tip of the iceberg with corruption and mismanagement in the ANC-run Buffalo City Metro being widespread,” Mileham said. “In fact, in the 2013/14 financial year, BCM lost a total of R600.9 million to unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful (UIFW) expenditure.”
The DA said the guilty verdict against Faku should serve as warning to all public officials that corruption would not be tolerated.
– African News Agency (ANA)
