The release of the Public Protectors report with the findings of maladministration and irregularities in the DA controlled Midvaal municipality in Gauteng, highlighted rampant corruption.
The FF Plus, already in April 2009, during a press briefing made information available to the media about corruption in Midvaal and in November 2009 requested an investigation by the Gauteng MEC for local government.
According to the FF+, Helen Zille, was aware of allegations of serious corruption in Midvaal from at least January 2009, after Mr. Kobus Hofmann, then a member of the mayoral committee for Midvaal revealed his concerns about corruption in the municipality to her and she, despite this, continually referred to the clean administration of the DA in Midvaal during the election campaign of 2009 and the local government elections of 2011.
Helen Zille, James Selfe, Ryan Coetzee and other senior DA leaders denied every time that there is any form of corruption in Midvaal despite numerous conspicuous pieces of evidence. The FF Plus intervened after numerous residents in Midvaal approached the party for assistance because they had been harmed by the DA council.
Zille had even in the Volksblad newspaper of 21 August 2011 denied that she knew Hofmann and James Selfe, the chairperson of the Federal Council of the DA at the time, told the same media that he was not worried about the allegations after Hofmann had laid a charge at the Meyerton police of defeating the ends of justice against Zille and other DA leaders.
The controversial leader of the DA in Midvaal, Mr. Andre Odendaal, following allegations of corruption made against the DA in public, then started a defamation case against Messrs. Corrie Pypers, FF Councillor in Midvaal, Kobus Hofmann, whistle blower and Jaco Mulder, the FF Plus’ MPL in Gauteng .
“The DA and ANC are two sides of the same coin and time will show that the DA controlled Midvaal is most probably the most corrupt municipality in South Africa ,” Mulder said. Helen Zille, James Selfe, Ryan Coetzee and Martie Wenger are therefore accessories to this corruption as it was continually brought to their attention but they denied it and neglected to take action against it.
The DA has repeatedly misled the voters and can consequently not be a credible alternative to the ANC.
FF Plus demanded that Helen Zille and every DA official who is involved in the corruption in Midvaal resign.
Despite this, the DA’s Midvaal mayor Timothy Nast was praised by MP James Selfe.
“He takes up his new position at the Gauteng Planning Commission (GPC) from August 1,” said Selfe, after news of Nast’s recent resignation became public.
The GPC is responsible for long-term city-region planning and performance monitoring and evaluation for the province. All infrastructure and development planning is co-ordinated centrally by the GPC on behalf of Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane, a member of the African National Congress.
Selfe said the move to the ANC would not affect Nast’s affiliation with the DA. “He made it very clear that he remained an enthusiastic and loyal member of the DA.”
Nast, 32, became mayor of the Midvaal in 2009. He was re-elected to the post in 2011.