There is growing discontent against ANC Ward Councillor, Naeem Patel, as more and more residents are questioning his honesty and credibility as a Councillor.
The past week has seen many critics complaining about Patel, with many residents saying that Patel is using politics to promote himself, irrespective of who or how he uses people.
This follows ‘Cllr Naeem Patel and Family’s Matric Excellence Awards’ night, held this past Saturday, which ironically was sponsored by business people. What was worrisome to some of those in attendance was that Patel used the platform to promote himself and the ANC and that the ANC Chairperson in the Region, who is also the Deputy Mayor of Tshwane, Eugene Modise, was Patel’s guest of honour at the function. Modise also shared the stage with various people, including religious leaders.
This, despite Modise being fingered many times as one of the corrupt ANC leaders in the Tshwane Council. Just last month (December) the DA laid a criminal charge against Modise, following the findings of a Tshwane investigative report confirming that Modise failed to declare and divest his interests in Triotic Protection Services, a service provider of the Municipality. The DA also accused the Deputy Mayor and MMC for Finance, Cllr Eugene Modise, of owing the struggling North West Housing Corporation (NWHC) more than R12,5 million for the rental of the Morula Sun property through his company, Mzanzi Resorts. Modise continues to benefit from this contract in contravention of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
A resident, who accompanied his nephew to the Awards night, Omar Ebrahim, told the Laudium Sun, “I find it immoral of Cllr Patel, who many times acts holier than thou with his long beard, of inviting his ANC Councillor friend, a certain Modise, as the guest of honour, to the function. This sends a wrong message to the innocent Matriculants, who were present at the Awards Evening, that it is okay to associate oneself with politicians who are accused of being corrupt.”
Following allegations that certain ANC Councillors in the Tshwane Council, known as the ‘water tanker mafia’ were doing business with the Council in supplying water tankers during water cuts and raking in a fortune of money, Dawood Ballim of the Concerned Community Forum (CCF), said, “Cllr Patel issued a public statement on Sunday, after the water problem started, that the water tankers he had requested from the Tshwane Council are all Council owned and not from private contractors. Although I was sceptical, I accepted his word as I am against using private contractors linked to the Council as I believe that they are corrupt and part of the water tanker mafia. However, I was surprised and shocked to see in Laudium this week that there were indeed private tankers delivering water to residents. All I can say now, is that I am once more convinced that Cllr Patel is not honest with the residents and that he has clearly, once again, misled or lied to them.”
Cllr Patel has ‘warned’ Cllr Prajay not to interfere by arranging water tankers for Laudium from the Council, saying only Ward Councillors are allowed to make such arrangements.