Former Ekurhuleni mayor accused of pushing R85m land deal, oversight failures alleged

According to The Citizen, former Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell has been accused of pushing an alleged R85 million land purchase for human settlements despite warnings that the site was a mine dump, attempting to interfere in a senior appointment process, and failing to act after being warned about problems in a separate R405 million security-technology procurement.

Alleged attempt to alter appointment scores

According to The Citizen, a former senior city official said Campbell and another high-ranking DA councillor tried to have the interview score of a candidate for a head of department post changed after a panel had completed its work. The official said she refused and advised that the panel had completed its function and the appointment needed to proceed to council.

The official told The Citizen that Campbell later told then city manager Imogen Mashazi that the official was “not for us”, and that Mashazi had said Campbell was angry with her.

R85m land transaction flagged as a mine dump

According to The Citizen, the same official alleged Campbell personally raised a proposed land purchase of R85 million for human settlements and identified the proposed seller as Taniel Cloete. When the official checked with the relevant divisional head whether the city should support buying the land, she discovered the site was a mine dump and therefore unsuitable for the intended purpose.

The Citizen reported that the purchase did not go ahead.

The Citizen said it could find only one property purportedly registered to Cloete: a residential property in a Boksburg suburb valued at about R1 million that she purchased more than a decade ago. The Citizen reported that no property matching the land at the centre of the alleged R85 million transaction could be identified as belonging to her.

“There is a summons for R85 million,”

The Citizen quoted the official as saying Cloete subsequently instituted high court proceedings against the city for about the same amount.

Alleged procurement oversight concerns

According to The Citizen, another source said the incumbent provider for a security-technology contract billed more than four times less than the winning bid of R405 million. The source told The Citizen they warned Campbell about problems with the procurement before bids had even been submitted and urged her to “exercise oversight”. The source said their written plea went unanswered.

Responses and disputed authority

The Citizen quoted DA Gauteng local government spokesperson Fred Nel as disputing that Campbell could have directed the R85 million purchase, saying a mayor does not have the authority to instruct the municipal administration to buy property. Nel also said politicians are excluded from municipal bid committees and cannot award tenders to suppliers.

The Citizen reported that Campbell did not respond to the allegations by the time of publication.

What The Citizen reported

• According to The Citizen, Campbell has been accused of attempting to interfere in a senior appointment.
• According to The Citizen, she allegedly pushed an R85 million land transaction for human settlements despite warnings the land was a mine dump.
• According to The Citizen, the proposed seller was identified as Taniel Cloete, though no matching property was found in relation to the disputed land and Cloete is listed as owning a Boksburg residence purchased over a decade ago.
• According to The Citizen, Cloete later instituted high court proceedings for about R85 million.
• According to The Citizen, a source alleged the incumbent security-technology provider billed more than four times less than the winning R405 million bid and that they warned Campbell about procurement problems.
• According to The Citizen, the R85 million purchase did not proceed and Campbell did not respond to the allegations by publication.