Five key takeaways from Parliament’s grilling of Nelson Mandela Bay officials
Fact-Check Results
“She suggested that Lumka had advised her that disciplinary action had been taken against the secretary.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to verify the disciplinary action against the secretary.
“Nelson Mandela Bay’s mayor admitted to the committee that a R25-million lease of a municipal transformer to private company Coega Steels was irregular.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to confirm or refute the mayor's admission regarding the lease irregularity.
“The transformer is a critical piece of infrastructure intended for emergencies in the metro, and MPs said leasing the equipment without council approval put the metro at risk.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to verify claims about the transformer's critical role or risk assessment.
“Jeffrey Mtolo accused Lobishe of unlawfully authorising the lease, saying it violated the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to confirm or refute the MFMA violation allegation.
“ANC MP Dikeledi Direko also questioned Lobishe’s authority, noting that without a council resolution, the contract could be deemed irregular.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to verify the council resolution requirement for the lease.
“Lobishe conceded that no mayor had the authority to approve the transfer of municipal assets without following the required consultation process.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to confirm the mayor's admission about asset transfer authority.
“Committee chair Zweli Mkhize highlighted City documents showing Ngcelwane had warned the then acting city manager Ted Pillay that the transformer lease to Coega Steels required council approval.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to verify the CFO's warning about the lease requirement.
“Mkhize expressed dismay over the City returning roughly R1.2-billion to the Treasury in recent years due to under-expenditure.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to confirm the R1.2-billion under-expenditure claim.
“The committee instructed the City’s leadership to submit a detailed written turnaround plan outlining improvements in grant spending, contract and project management, human resources, and accountability measures.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to verify the committee's instruction for a turnaround plan.
“The mayor blamed a secretary in her office for the lack of response to committee communications, saying the person failed to bring the committee’s letters to her attention.”
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INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
— No evidence in archive to confirm the mayor's blame of her secretary.