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City of Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga will recommend to council that city manager Moeketsi Mosola be suspended following allegations of tender irregularities.
Mosola has been implicated recently in the awarding of an alleged irregular tender to engineering consultants GladAfrica, worth a reported R12bn.
Mosola denied the allegations in a statement last week, saying all processes were above board and in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Msimanga's office on Tuesday confirmed that, having requested more information from Mosola last week, the mayor will now recommend to council that a full probe take place into Mosola and senior officials, and that Mosola be suspended at a special sitting.
Various allegations
City spokesperson Sam Mgobozi told News24 on Tuesday that a special sitting will convene at 10:00 on Wednesday.
"The mayor, as head of the city's executive, is duty-bound to satisfy himself that any and all tender irregularity is addressed properly and in full," Mgobozi said.
"Council equally has a duty to satisfy itself of the same and to make recommendations accordingly. This is why the matter has been referred to Council."
Msimanga's office said he had been made aware of the various allegations against the process to appoint certain service providers, and thus inquired for more information last week.
He would ask that Mosola be suspended for the duration of the investigation, but would be afforded an opportunity to provide council with reasons why he should not be suspended.
The under fire city manager on Sunday claimed on Facebook that "a small group of white people" were targeting him following the firing of former chief of staff Marietha Aucamp.
He claimed that the small group had an issue with GladAfrica - a black firm - being awarded the tender over another Afrikaans one.
He also told the Pretoria News on Friday that Msimanga had been aware and kept abreast of the details of the contract.
Mgobozi responded on Tuesday, saying: "Any person is entitled to his or her opinion, and I would prefer to engage substantively with the facts of alleged tender irregularity."
They also noted Mosola's comments, and will put it before council to be tested and whether it could be proved.
Mosola last week denied the claims that first came from Gauteng ANC spokesperson Tasneem Motara, that he had unlawfully awarded the contract. He said he would make the documents informing the tender publicly available.
The ANC had called for an SIU probe into the matter.
Msimanga's office meanwhile said the process of questioning had already been initiated before it was reported in the media.
His office defended his record in the city, saying the City of Tshwane had taken a number of multi-billion rand contracts on review, which were entered into during the ANC's previous term.
There was therefore a "zero tolerance" policy toward irregularities and corruption.
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