South Africa’s Former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba in the Middle of the City’s Controversial Business Deals

Herman Mashaba, the leader of Action South Africa, who is also the former mayor of Johannesburg has continued to find himself in the middle of some of the city’s controversial business contracts.

Even though he has expressed his concern in the name of better service delivery for the people of Johannesburg, some people believe that he is an interested party in some of the business deals that end being won by other people.

While still being a mayor, Mashaba ordered the cancellation of a contract between City Power and Setheo engineering citing corruption as the reason of his displeasure with how the contract was being managed.

As the Eldorado substation case between City Power and Setheo took several legal twist and turns which now involve City of Johannesburg and Setheo’s Brighton Chifamba who was recently denied bail on various charges levelled against him, Mashaba commented on the matter asked for more charges on other related contracts.

Let me remind our criminal justice system that this company, working with City Power management, not only defrauded the @CityofJoburgZA of R66m, they must also be charged for defrauding the city of R22m for the Lawley Substation. Both crimes committed at the same time. He tweeted.

Earlier on he had also tweeted asking for an official apology from the African National Congress (ANC) which he blamed for protecting Setheo.

The ANC owes me an official apology for reporting me to the Public Protector for following up on this matter. How did this company qualify to get this and other tenders, and be protected by the ANC?  He asked.

In response to the tweet, Keith Peackock who according to his Twitter account is a ‘critical ANC member’ hit back saying “Excellent, corruption in @CityofJoburgZA being confronted. The Public Protector findings against @HermanMashaba related to payments to his wife’s organisation and irregular appointments in the City, not this case”.

A number of people in the business community have also expressed concern on the tone and choice of words in Mashaba’s tweets saying they are tantamount to giving instructions to the police and the NPA than a plea for justice.

“Imagine what precedent is being set when a public official like Mashaba gets away with telling the police and the justice system of his preferred outcome in cases that are before the courts.” Asked one business man.

In a related controversial case where the former mayor’s name pops up, according to a 26 August 2020 IOL news article titled NPA allegedly scared of charging 30 City of Joburg officials who took bribes in R7.5m fraud case, former Mayor Mashaba is also reported as the man who blew the lid on the fraudulent incident.

As corruption cases continue to feature in Joburg’ courts, time is yet to tell whether Mashaba’s whistleblowing and follow up on various tenders have anything to do with the people that he claims to represent or he is merely a fellow businessman fighting for a stake in the city’s lucrative contracts.