During the uMngeni full council meeting on Friday, the municipality’s senior legal advisor, Lelani van den Berg, announced that the Public Protector had determined all three allegations were unsubstantiated and that there had been “no breach” of the Municipal Code of Conduct. Van den Berg told councillors that both Pappas and municipal manager Mzingisi Hloba were served with notices by the Public Protector in October 2023 after a formal complaint was lodged by former DA provincial leader Sizwe Mchunu, who requested an investigation. “It also brought a great deal of negative publicity to the municipality.” Before the Public Protector’s review, the matter had already been investigated by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), which similarly found no wrongdoing.
Councillors across the political spectrum welcomed the outcome. DA councillors said it was “deeply regrettable” that politically motivated claims were used to mislead the public during an election period, adding that it would be appropriate for those who make false allegations to face consequences. “Often, it is very easy to accuse someone of wrongdoing, and an incredible amount of time and resources is spent only to find the allegations are not true,” said deputy mayor Sandile Mnikathi.
“It’s a lesson going forward that even when we campaign or criticise one another, we avoid making baseless claims.” Pappas noted that the ANC had been vocal in issuing statements when the allegations first surfaced, and said he hoped they would show the same level of transparency now that his name has been cleared. “It would be a show of good faith to acknowledge that the mayor’s name has been cleared and that the municipality was not in the wrong,” he said.
Read Full Article on The Witness
