Malusi Booi fired as CoCT's Mayco Member for Human Settlements

Malusi Booi was let go from his position as the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral committee member for Human Settlements.

PICTURED - CoCT: Malusi Booi

Cape Town Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis removed Booi with immediate effect on Thursday afternoon, following his initial suspension, last week.

Hill-Lewis said Booi’s removal from Mayco follows an updated briefing from the South African Police Services (SAPS) regarding progress that they have made in their investigation into alleged fraud and corruption. Booi will however remain a councillor.

‘’I have received an updated briefing from the SAPS regarding their investigation, and on this basis, have decided to remove Councillor Malusi Booi from his position on the Mayoral Committee with immediate effect. While Councillor Booi has not been charged, the matters under investigation are to my mind serious enough to warrant immediate action to protect the integrity of our government.

‘’I have further assured the SAPS of the City's full support in the ongoing investigation. The City has a zero tolerance approach to fraud and corruption and I will not hesitate to act in the interests of good governance,’’ added Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor.

In the interim, James Vos will continue as Acting Mayco Member for Human Settlements.

The GOOD party welcomed the removal of Malusi Booi, but is in the view that Hill-Lewis knew about the arrest before hand.

‘’The investigation into these allegations at the Human Settlements Directorate has been ongoing for sometime, with officials raising alarm as far back as 2020. The public deserves an honest update. The Mayor must provide clarity on what more he learned about Booi’s conduct that he did not know last week, when he announced his “suspension’’,’’ said Suzette Little, GOOD Councillor & Caucus Chairperson.

‘’Moreover, the Mayor has had access to a City funded forensic investigation into housing corruption, and unless that investigation was selective, the Mayor must have been aware of information that implicated Booi long before the raid. The Mayor needs to explain why he waited until now to act,’’ she added.

Little questioned the Cape Town mayor’s actions to fire Booi, but not Nora Grose. Grose is being investigated for the alleged misappropriation of funds intended for food relief relating to COVID-19.

‘’While it’s encouraging to see the City taking swift steps in this regard, GOOD is concerned about the ongoing secrecy around these allegations and investigation when this case involves public funds. The Mayor’s decision to sack Booi also raises the issue of Nora Grose once again, as she is currently being defended with the help of public funds when she’s already charged in the Commercial Crimes Court. The City cannot continue to ignore questions around this inconsistency.’’

‘’Mayor Hill-Lewis must come clean and act transparently if he is serious about clean governance, and this includes sharing info with the public he was elected to serve,’’ added Suzette Little, GOOD Councillor & Caucus Chairperson.

The EFF shared the same sentiments as GOOD party, but has called on the City of Cape Town to do a lifestyle audit on Booi. The party has also called on the municipality to probe all Human Settlements officials.

‘’Under Geordin hill-Lewis mayoralty, we have already seen two suspensions of MMCs. This includes Water and Sanitation mayco member Zahid Badroodien who was removed from office for tempering with an electricity meter. This makes us question whether the DA is really running a ‘’clean government’’ with a ‘’clean audit’’,’’ said Ntsikelelo Tyandela, EFF Cape Metro Chairperson.

‘’It is no secret that Human Settlement under the leadership of Malusi Booi has been a playground for gangsters, who receive tenders through corrupt measures. If gangsters were not receiving corrupt tenders, they extorted companies that received tenders from human Settlements under Malusi Booi. This is evident in the tender project in Symphony Way, in Delft, wherein an official was murdered due to extortion. Malusi Booi is yet to be investigated for this murder. JP Smith militarized the City of Cape Town using Law Enforcement against the EFF peaceful shutdown. However, he is failing to use the same Law Enforcement to stop the extortion taking place in the human settlements projects,’’ he added.

Tyandela says just like Booi, Nora Grose, should also be given the boot.

‘’The EFF in Cape Metro calls for the DA to use the same energy it is using to deal with Malusi Booi to deal with Nora Grose. The DA must not be a coward and racist in its approach… The DA has spent nearly R500 000 in legal fees defending Nora. This is a racist act to save a white face from being accused of corruption; this is because, in the eyes of the DA, whiteness is a goddess. The EFF calls for the DA to fire Cllr. Nora Grose for fraud and money laundering allegations,’’ said Ntsikeleleo Tyandela, EFF Cape Metro Chairperson.

 

Done by: Mitchum George