“In response to the DA’s complaint to the Public Protector over this matter, Cilliers yesterday issued a statement admitting that he holds at least two senior political offices in the PA: Head of Strategy and Negotiations, and on the party’s National Executive Committee. He therefore indeed appears to be employed illegally as a Director in the City of Johannesburg.”
Please find attached a soundbite by Cllr Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku.
Yesterday, the DA exposed blatant cadre deployment by the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the City of Johannesburg involving a founding member of the party, Charles Cilliers. Cilliers was the chairperson of the board at the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and then became the Director: Executive Support in the office of the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Human Settlements.
His appointments into the administration violate amendments made to the Municipal Systems Act, which came into effect on 22 August 2022. The amendments stipulate that “A staff member [in a municipality] may not hold political office in a political party, whether in a permanent, temporary or acting capacity.” Any person who continues to hold office in a political party after being employed in a municipality following the promulgation of this Act on 22 August 2022 is breaking the law.
In response to the DA’s complaint to the Public Protector over this matter, Cilliers yesterday issued a statement admitting that he holds at least two senior political offices in the PA: Head of Strategy and Negotiations, and on the party’s National Executive Committee. He therefore indeed appears to be employed illegally as a Director in the City of Johannesburg.
Additionally, Cilliers also appears to be lying about his position as chairman of the JRA board. Cilliers claims in his statement that he “resigned as the JRA chair in May prior to accepting the role as the Director: Executive Support.” However, as recently as 14 June, Cilliers was still commenting in the media as “Chairperson of the JRA board” on the dismissal of the JRA Chief Executive Officer.
We further note that the JRA website was hurriedly updated over the weekend to reflect the position of chair of the JRA board now vacant. We have subsequently written to the Head op Group Governance, Mlandu Kona, requesting a copy of the recording of the Mayoral Committee where Mr Cilliers’ resignation was announced and recorded as per process.
The DA is writing to the Public Protector today to note Cilliers’ confirmation in yesterday’s statement that he holds two senior positions in the PA while being paid around R1.2 million per year by the long-suffering ratepayers of Johannesburg. The DA will therefore request that the Public Protector compels Cilliers to pay back the money to the people of Johannesburg that he was illegally paid.
This cadre deployment scandal once again affirms that the PA is indistinguishable from its corrupt coalition partners in the ANC and EFF. The DA will continue to fight cadre deployment corruption wherever it rears its ugly head.
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