Committee appointed to probe allegations against Ekurhuleni Council Speaker Tshivhenga

JOHANNESBURG - The Ekurhuleni city council has appointed an ad-hoc committee to probe the fraud and corruption allegations against Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Speaker of council Nthabiseng Tshivhenga.  

This came after she was accused of benefiting from kickbacks from service providers in hopes to swing government contracts in their direction.  

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These allegations were made by the secretary in her office, Salome Lekalakala, who admitted to deceiving contractors into making payments to her personal bank accounts after promising them fake tenders.  

The council met behind closed doors on Tuesday to debate the allegations against the speaker. 

In a confidential report obtained by Eyewitness News, the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) has recommended that an investigation be initiated against Tshivhenga.  

According to a police affidavit, the secretary in her office accused Tshivhenga of using funds allegedly received from service providers to purchase clothing.  

The council has now decided to appoint an ad-hoc committee, chaired by council whip Pelisa Nkunjana, to further investigate the allegations.  

Democratic Alliance (DA) chief whip in council Lucky Dinake has stated that Tshivhenga must be held accountable for her alleged misconduct.  

“Council sat, and after great battle, the speaker recused herself, and we were able to debate on that motion. We now look forward to a report on the investigation in three months.”  

If necessary, the committee may recommend the appointment of an independent forensic investigator.  

However, Tshivhenga has denied any wrongdoing.