MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) – The mayor, Cllr R S Nkuzana, reconfirmed his commitment to the establishment of an accountable and transparent administration last week. He gave this assurance when he announced the formation of an ad hoc committee to investigate allegations of corruption, nepotism and abuse of power in the Makhado Municipal Council.

The ad hoc committee consists of five councillors, and must complete its work within 21 working days. During this time, it will have to conduct a comprehensive investigation and compile a report, which would indicate whether a full-scale commission of enquiry should be established. The report would give a comprehensive account of the ad hoc committee's activities and findings, together with recommendations on possible preventative actions and measures for the future.

The ad hoc committee, which was supposed to start its work at the beginning of this week, is chaired by Cllr N A Matodzi. The rest of the members are Cllrs L Mununguthala, M M Makhado, N E Ngobeni en A R Mudau.

During a media conference the mayor said the formation of the ad hoc committee links up with the Mayoral 100 Days Plan, which was launched on 23 September.

"We recognize that we could not move unless we attempted to restore the honour and dignity of this Council and give effect to discipline and ethical conduct. The question of redress must be located in a broader context and the complaints of our people must be recognized," the mayor said.

He said corruption and nepotism cannot be suppressed or simply ignored. It should be investigated and made known.

"We are committed to the building of an accountable and transparent administration. Without the restoration of Council's good image, there can be no genuine execution of Council's constitutional mandate."

The ad hoc committee has the rights and powers to subpoena any official or councillor to appear before it, in order to be interviewed in respect of matters relevant to its work. It will also have acces to all official council records and files and will establish whether any documents or articles were destroyed by any person, in order to conceal corruption and nepotism.

It will specifically investigate the awarding of tenders, such as the building tender for the extension to the Civic Centre, as well as the tender for security services. It will also specifically investigate allegations that certain people were appointed to their current positions at Council through nepotism and corruption.

The appointment of the ad hoc committee follows a long series of media reports, complaints by members of the public, the official opposition and trade unions. It comes in the midst of a growing unease amongst all parties with the authoritarian style of the Speaker and the continued procedural obscurity and refusal to entertain official questions in Council meetings.