HENDRINA – Steve Tshwete ANC councillor Musawenkosi Masina made a brief appearance at the Hendrina magistrates court on Tuesday to answer charges of fraud and contravening the disaster management act of 2002 amended regulation issued in terms of section 27(2).
Masina, ward 2 councillor, was arrested on 9 April on allegations of issuing illegal permits to foreign spaza shop owners during lockdown. The following day, on Good Friday, he was arrested again in Hendrina for the selling more fake permits to traders. He was released on bail fixed at R3, 000 and the case was postponed to Friday, 17 April.
The Mpumalanga ANC said in a statement it was dismayed by the conduct of the councillor. “His conduct has put the name of the ANC and our government into disrepute,” said ANC acting-provincial secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali.
“The ANC public representatives are expected to display high moral discipline towards a strong united collective,” she said. Ntshalintshali said that the provincial structure had met through teleconferencing on 12 April to discuss the conduct of the councillor. “The meeting reiterated the importance of all ANC members and its deployees to examine their actions and ensure that they are in line with the character set out in policies and the ANC constitution,” she said.
“The ANC has declared fraud and corruption as an enemy of progress and a stumbling block to our National Democratic Revolution programme, and must be dealt with decisively. It is against this background that the ANC officials resolved to summarily suspend the membership of Cllr Musawenkosi Masina with immediate effect pending all allegations levelled against him are finalised,” Ntshalintshali said.
Masina was also suspended from the Steve Tshwete local municipality as a councillor pending his appearance to the ethics committee when the lockdown ends.
