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“Any councillor who wants to see the 700-[page] report can do so, but [has] to sign the confidentiality clause,” said KwaZulu-Natal provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs spokesman Lennox Mabaso.

He said the councillors were “at liberty to divulge details, but face consequences”.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said at the weekend the full report should be released.

Mabaso accused DA councillors of misleading Zille.

There was no issue about access to the report, but rather the conditions of access to the report, he said.

“A responsible state would guard against infringing on the rights of individuals, because if it acts recklessly just to make headlines, you may have culprits who transgressed and deserve to be sanctioned walking free.” 

Mabaso said the full report was tabled before the full council of the eThekwini municipality.

However, DA eThekwini leader Tex Collins said an abridged version had been presented to council.

As a member of the municipality’s 12-member executive committee (exco), Collins said he had seen the report.

“What’s the point [of seeing the report] if we cannot divulge it, even to our own caucus members?” he asked.

Minority Front councillor Patrick Pillay said exco members had access to the report for a “couple of hours” after signing the confidentiality agreement.

There was insufficient time to go through the document, he said.

The Inkatha Freedom Party’s eThekwini caucus leader, Mdu Nkosi, said a power-point presentation was made to the full council, but that he had not seen a hard copy of the report. He is not a member of the exco.

The forensic audit by Manase and Associates was instituted after Auditor General Terence Nombembe said in his 2009/10 report that the municipality had irregularly spent R532 million. Accusations against a number of senior officials were made.

According to Nombembe’s report, 10 councillors had business interests with entities conducting business with the eThekwini municipality.

The African National Congress has backed the decision not to make the full report public.

ANC Durban chairman Sibongiseni Dhlomo said in August that releasing it would be unfair to the parties involved and would endanger the interests of the municipality.

An abridged version of the report was released by KwaZulu-Natal co-operative governance MEC Nomusa Dube in February. The city was supposed to release the full contents in July.

However, on August 1, mayor James Nxumalo said the full report would not be released. He also cited prejudice to those involved.

Nxumalo said the municipality was hoping to make the full report public by the end of December, when all disciplinary process had been completed.

eThekwini municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said councillors could see the full report, but would have to sign a confidentiality clause — a copy of which could not be obtained. - Sapa

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Wed Jun 19 03:40:33 SAST 2013 ::

Oct 23, 2012

seribe

Secrecy Bill?
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Oct 23, 2012

MommaC

So we paid for this report and we paid the sods who stole our money but we aren't allowed to see it?
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Oct 23, 2012

Bra_NeatDick

Lets hope the someone will be charged and the report used as evidence, hence the secrecy.
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Oct 23, 2012

RobinHH

Who needs a Secrecy Bill when everyone is so afraid of the truth?
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Oct 23, 2012

candilious

@Robin -Spuiker op die kop geslaan
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Oct 23, 2012

cornelius

WTF ? Are the rights of people named in the reprot as trangressors more inmportant than the right of taxpayers and rateayers to know who is stealing their money ???!!!

The ANC has lost its moralbearings completely.
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Oct 23, 2012

Punkies

Whats up with this secrets..
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Oct 23, 2012

!#Sinudeity#!

Take the report and submit it to wikileaks!
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Oct 23, 2012

Bombay_Mafia

Chin.ese sa.ying: IF YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE TO KNOW, DON'T DO IT

This means that your are just wasting time .... Sunday newspapers to the rescue
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Oct 23, 2012

!#Sinudeity#!

"the municipality had irregularly spent R532 million. Accusations against a number of senior officials were made."


At least we know why its secret. They dont want to embarrass the ANC and its top dawgs.
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