KZN municipality guns for ex-manager

2011-08-04 22:21

Pietermaritzburg - The Msunduzi municipality has solicited support from the Special Investigating Unit , the Commercial Crimes Unit and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in a bid to bring former municipal manager Rob Haswell to book.

This was revealed by administrator Sibusiso Sithole during a media briefing on Thursday on forensic investigations and punitive measures taken against staff members.

"A criminal case has been opened, there is a case number, there is a body of evidence and accompanying affidavits with all the evidence. It is up to the police and the DPP," Sithole said in reference to Haswell.

He told the media that Haswell was likely to be charged with financial misconduct, fraud and corruption amid the financial meltdown experienced by the municipality at the beginning of last year.

Suspensions

By the time that Haswell resigned the municipality was cash-strapped prompting an intervention by provincial government to appoint an administrator and a Provincial Intervention Team to help the troubled council.

Several senior officials were suspended while the ANC also recalled some of its councillors, including then mayor Zanele Hlatshwayo Sithole who took over from Johann Mettler as administrator this year.

He hinted at possible frustration on the side of the municipality over the pace in which the matter had been handled, indicating that the evidence was submitted to the law enforcement agencies in January this year, without much progress.

“We will be having meetings soon with the authorities and we will impress upon them to ensure that there is urgency on the matter," said Sithole.

The administrator said that since the forensic investigations conducted last year by the intervention team, three senior officials had resigned, six were on suspension and four had been dismissed.

While there were over 50 cases of misconduct being handled by the council, Sithole remained optimistic that by December the cases would be finalised.

- SAPA