An Emfuleni ANC councillor has been referred to the council’s ethics committee after some residents said he had portions of privately owned land allocated to them that he had no right to sell.
Cedric Davids, an ANC councillor for Ward 28 in Evaton West in the Vaal, has been accused by some residents of the Hollywood informal settlement of pocketing their money for the stands they now face eviction from.
Davids told Sowetan he helped residents settle in the area by allocating them stands, saying the land was owned by the Gauteng department of human settlements, but denied that he had pocketed any money from them.
About 35 families from the informal settlement are now facing eviction from their shacks and brick houses after the owners of the land, Evaton Mathlo Projects, approached the court to have them removed.
Municipal spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni confirmed to Sowetan that the speaker’s office was dealing with Davids’s matter and that it would be referred to the council’s ethics committee for investigation.
As the municipality, we don’t agree with any form of abuse of power by our officials and councillors, but for now it will be premature for us to comment in any form until we have all the necessary facts
— Makhosonke Sangweni, Municipal spokesperson
“As the municipality, we don’t agree with any form of abuse of power by our officials and councillors, but for now it will be premature for us to comment in any form until we have all the necessary facts,” Sangweni said.
One resident alleged she paid R10,000 into the bank account of the councillor’s wife in 2023.
“I was desperate at the time and I was told to pay R10,000. But we did not write it on paper that I was paying the money for a stand,” said the resident who asked not to be named.
Another resident showed Sowetan a proof of payment showing the transfer of money purportedly to the bank account of the councillor’s wife. The resident also shared a statement made to police in Sebokeng in August 2023, indicating that David’s wife, Nombulelo, had acknowledged receipt of R10,000 for land sold by Bongi Dube.
The two residents said they did not open a case against the councillor out of fear.
Evaton Mathlo Projects director Ramape Phalane said the company had been trying to evict the occupiers of their land that has been earmarked for development since 2020. Phalane said portions of the land were sold to people unlawfully.
“It is unfortunate that the councillor put people there before he was a councillor,” Phalane said. “He gave people land that did not belong to him. He was opportunistic in a way, and we also understand that there are some people who claim they paid him some money.
“At the end of the day... we have to evict them so that we can get access to the land and sell it to whoever wants to buy it lawfully or to develop it.”
Davids told Sowetan that he would fight the evictions with residents in court.
“My hands are clean, and if they [my accusers] feel my hands are dirty, they should go to the nearest police station to open a case so that the allegations can be tested. They cannot just allege and not do anything about it.”
He said he had facilitated residents’ access to water by collecting R250 per household for the connection.
His wife, Nombulelo, also dared her accusers to open a case against her.
“If someone feels I scammed them or defrauded them, they must just take that to the police,” she said.
Terry-Ann van Eck, spokesperson for the Gauteng MEC of human settlements, said the land has been subdivided into 45 portions, all of which were privately owned.
“The land does not belong to the department of human settlements. As such, the department has not authorised any individual to allocate or sell stands on this privately owned land. The department is not party to, nor does it have oversight of, any activities taking place on the property,” Van Eck said.
ANC regional chairperson Thulani Kunene said: “Corruption is not tolerated, but we must listen to the person [Davids] and hear what he has to say.”
A 73-year-old resident, Mbonane Nhlapo, said he was among the first to occupy the land, and he paid for it in 2018 to a seller known to him only as Ndade.
“I got scammed. I paid R40,000, which was done in two transactions to another person and not the councillor. I need help because now we are facing eviction,” Nhlapo said.
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