Cape Town - Cape Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams has been issued with a cease and desist letter over comments on social media relating to City Manager Lungelo Mbandazayo’s alleged “illegal” cancelling of a tender concerning emergency staircases on the Cape Flats.
The matter relates to a multimillion-rand tender fraud and corruption scandal which came to light last year after eight people were arrested, including officials in the DA-led City and directors of local businesses.
This was after Adams, joined by anti-crime activist Hanif Loonat, lodged a criminal complaint against City officials over allegations of money laundering, fraud and corruption, and defeating the ends of justice concerning the alleged inflating of invoices, irregular payments of service providers for construction work not undertaken and other illicit activities, in excess of R300 million.
The cease and desist letter makes reference to comments by Adams that Mbandazayo had no legal authority to cancel the tender and that the Cape Flats was “robbed” of over R300m and Mbandazayo's signature might be on alleged fraudulent contracts.
The letter stated that the allegations were false and that any assertion that Mbandazayo’s conduct was untoward was rejected as being without substance.
“It is noted that you continually persist in asserting criminal activity in relation to tenders 357Q and 243Q.
As you are aware, there are two criminal cases opened and Mr Mbandazayo and the City have been cooperating fully with the police and the relevant law enforcement agencies in these matters.
Your unsubstantiated statements imply that Mr Mbandazayo is involved in and implicated in wrongful and or criminal conduct.
These averments are malicious, defamatory and devoid of all truth and are patently false,” the letter read.
The letter insists that Adams should remove his social media post and publicly apologise.
Lawyers for Mbandazayo declined to comment further.
Adams meanwhile said he would not remove the comments.
“This is nothing but attempted intimidation. We have been mandated and voted to go and fight for the Cape Flats and this is exactly what we are doing. We want that (forensic) report, the report that the City manager won't release.
The report will prove hundreds of millions of rands was stolen from the coloured community,” said Adams.
The City maintained it continued to cooperate fully with the SAPS.
“Forensic reports are classified as confidential in terms of the City’s Records Management Policy which is aligned to the National Archives Act.
Loonat added: “Instead of going after those committing the crime, they go after the whistleblowers at all levels of government, this can’t go on.”
Cape Times