The DA has been slammed by political parties in Cape Town for playing double standards in sanctions against councillors.
Also read: DA calls for urgent meeting to deliberate on the future of Malusi Booi
This follows the recommendation of a disciplinary committee, that Zahid Badroodien be issued with a final written warning for allegedly tampering with electricity meters at his Rylands property.
It was recommended by the committee that Badroodien be found guilty of contravening the code of conduct and failing to act in the best interests of the City.
It was also determined that Badroodien had compromised the City’s credibility and integrity.
The councillor was the mayco member for water and sanitation before voluntarily standing down amid the allegations of electricity meter tampering last year, when he was charged with gross misconduct for breaching the City’s electricity supply bylaw and the code of conduct for councillors.
A disciplinary hearing could not find that he was personally responsible for the tampering or that he was aware of the issue.
However, the committee determined that Badroodien, as the lawful and registered owner of the property, should have been more diligent when managing his responsibilities.
According to IOL, EFF councillor Nosipho Makamba-Botya condemned the ‘shocking sanction’ describing it as a ‘slap on the wrist for a person who should have been acting in an ethical and moral manner.
‘He must cease to be part of the institution,’ said Makamba-Botya, who also accused the City of double standards, adding that ‘race’ dictated how the DA-run City handled cases.
‘Malusi Booi (axed as mayco member for human settlements) was fired on the basis of an allegation. Badroodien was found guilty of a charge by the committee. Black people have no future in the DA,’ she said.
Anele Gabuza from the ANC said that Badroodien had a duty to set an example of ethical and moral conduct for communities and to act responsibly.
‘No one is above the law or has a right to breach any code of conduct. The house was still in his name when the tampering occurred. But those who are of a certain ethnic group are treated differently,’ said Gabuza.
Mitigating factors were taken into consideration when issuing the sanction, including the fact that Badroodien was ‘not aware’ of the tampering, although it was ‘clear that there was fraud’.
The speaker, Felicity Purchase, will inform the MEC for Local Government, Anton Bredell, of the findings and sanction him within 14 days.
Also read:
Councillor faces charges of allegedly tampering with an electricity meter
Picture: @ZahidBadroodien / Twitter