The City of Cape Town demonstrated its new crime-fighting aerial surveillance technology at the Traffic Management Centre in Goodwood. On hand to observe were Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith. Armand Hough / Independent Newspapers
OPPOSITION parties in the City council continue to pile pressure on Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to place safety and security mayco member JP Smith and energy mayco member Xanthea Limberg on suspension pending the outcome of a police investigation, which saw their offices raided.
Their continued presence could impede the investigation or at least give the perception of being in a position to impede, according to Good Party secretary general, Brett Herron.
“The logical and consistent thing to do is to immediately suspend them.”
The duo were thrust into the spotlight on Friday when the police swooped into their offices at the Civic Centre as part of an ongoing forensic investigation stemming from a tender fraud case that is running before the courts. Several municipal officials and business owners are allegedly facing a myriad of charges that relate to the same investigation.
Probed on whether the two would be suspended, Hill-Lewis office on Sunday referred the Cape Times to an earlier statement where he said he first needed to consult police.
“I note the raid by authorities at the offices of JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg, who have informed me they’ve offered full cooperation to the SAPS but have not been made aware of the specific allegations at this stage. I’ve requested an urgent briefing from SAPS to understand the details of this matter and will determine the necessary further actions once this has been received,” said Hill-Lewis.
Politically, Smith is Hill-Lewis’ boss as the DA Cape Metro region chairperson but in council, the roles are reversed.
Neither Smith, nor Limberg could be reached for comment. In a statement released on social media, Smith compared the raid to a political witchhunt.
Questions have also been asked of Hill-Lewis’ handling of this case compared to how quickly he acted to remove then Human Settlement Mayco member Malusi Booi after his office was raided. Booi was suspended the next day as the investigation continued. He was then fired from Council eight days later.
Booi has appeared in court alongside eight co-accused for their alleged involvement in construction tender fraud worth a billion rand.
ANC leader the Western Cape Provincial Legislature, Khalid Sayed said: “JP Smith occupies a position that requires the utmost integrity and transparency. The ongoing investigation into allegations of tender fraud raises serious questions about his ability to carry out his duties effectively and without bias.
“As long as these allegations remain unresolved, they cast a shadow over the City of Cape Town and risk eroding public confidence in the DA-led administration’s ability to provide clean governance. To uphold the principles of accountability and transparency, JP Smith should be suspended from his role pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
National Coloured Congress (NCC) leader Fadiel Adams asked how anyone could have confidence “in a man allegedly embroiled in the same construction mafia they professed to fight”
“The Cliffe Decker report (found) that JP had (allegedly) interfered in the appointment of (a) police general in safety and security. Was this irregular appointment made for influence within SAPS?
“We look forward to the conclusion of the investigation,” said Adams.
Forensic crime expert Calvin Rafadi believed arguments that the raid was part of a “political witchhunt” were without merit as it was a normal part of police work during investigations.
“Politicians are not exempt from the law, they are holding political office. There's administration, if there’s any corruption police can investigate,” said Rafadi.
Political analyst Tessa Dooms said: “It’s incumbent on the people who are in elected office to have the integrity to set aside or step down when these kinds of allegations happen. The reason it’s important that they're willing to do that is because the office that they hold will be impugned by this public attention that is negative on them by these allegations.”
DA provincial leader, Tertuis Simmers said details were limited and “until the facts, context, and investigation details are better known the party respects the rights of both our members”.
“Our party processes are based on objective facts and only initiated once the objective facts are known. We will monitor the situation closely and await further developments.
“The difference between Malusi Booi matter vs the current scenario are that facts are still not known yet, the context is very opaque with a hint of alleged ulterior motives being the true driver for Friday, and the CoCT mayor is yet to receive the investigation details as they still are not known,” he said.
*Additional reporting by Mandilakhe Tshwete.
Cape Times