Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Chris Hattingh, DA Constituency Head: JB Marks Local Municipality.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the progress made in the case against the former JB Marks Executive Mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, and his two co-accused for theft and fraud charges.
We now have trial dates, the first being set for hearing the matter on 11 October 2021.
We also welcome the court’s decision to move the trial proceedings to Ventersdorp during today’s pre-trial hearing.
The case the criminally accused have to answer to follows charges brought by the DA more than 18 months ago. Our efforts to fight corruption, criminality, abuse of power, and unaccountability in JB Marks are now starting to bear fruit.
This case is a breakthrough in our fight to establish accountability in the JB Marks Municipality, including the recovery of looted public money.
A specialized prosecuting team will lead the case involving 20 state witnesses.
The DA wishes to compliment the HAWKS for the thorough investigation conducted in an administrative system designed to evade accountability and to obscure evidence.
The DA will continue to relentlessly pursue our goal to clean up the JB Marks Municipal administration, to instill a strong code of ethics and accountability, and to recover looted funds for as long as the ANC continues to subvert the law.
Ultimately, the only way to improve the delivery of services and ensure good, transparent, and accountable governance in JB Marks is for the residents to vote DA in the upcoming local government elections.