Al-Jama-ah councillor in the City of Johannesburg, Thapelo Amad, has rubbished allegations levelled by the DA that he had broken the municipal code of ethics during his time as MMC of Development Planning in the Municipal Council.
This comes after allegations by the Multi Party Coalition that Amad had forced the City into a contract with the Soweto Construction Chamber when he was MMC through signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The memorandum was meant to foster partnerships with stakeholders in the development.
The current MMC of Development Planning in the Municipal Council is Belinda Echeozonjoku.
“The Soweto Construction Chamber is not a business, according to CIPC laws and cannot be awarded any tender. The MoU is an understanding that the chamber is a legitimate entity that advocates the development of infrastructure and construction projects in Johannesburg, precisely Soweto. Their sole interest is in levelling the playing fields between SMMEs and the Group 5 construction entities,” Amad said.
Amad said the allegations were engineered to dent his image because he was at the forefront of ensuring that the DA led administrations were unseated.
“These allegations are so misguided in a sense that the MMC is casting aspersions, it emanated from pillow talk when the first sponsor of the same allegations tried to portray a picture that he is attacked because they blew a whistle on the matter,” he said.
“Secondly, it is alleged that I championed the removal of the speaker of Johannesburg, Cllr Vasco da Gama, because he had intended to take me to the ethics (committee).”
Amad said the DA and its partners were not interested in empowering the black child in previously marginalised communities.
“Did the MMC in question anticipate that I signed the MoU with the Lagos construction chamber in Hillbrow? It is the Soweto construction chamber that approached the department when we embarked on a campaign called ‘taking development planning to the people’ because I believe that development planning is at the core of service delivery in the City of Johannesburg.
“It is very surprising that up until now, nothing has happened to help the chamber and their SMMEs.”