Former Collins Chabane local municipality mayor in Limpopo, Joyce Bila, who was removed for investing more than R120m in public funds in the collapsed VBS Mutual Bank, has been elected as a councillor in the same municipality.
Bila was among several mayors in the province who were instructed by the ANC to vacate their positions after they invested in VBS.
Bila defended her election and subsequent swearing-in as councillor, saying she was never implicated in the forensic report called “the Great Bank Heist” by Adv Terry Motau.
“My name is not mentioned in the report because there is nothing wrong I did. Besides, I didn’t elect myself, I was elected by the branches of the ANC and I couldn’t say no to serving our people,” she said.
Collins Chabane municipality spokesperson Robert Mathye confirmed that Bila had been sworn in as a councillor last week.
A disgruntled ANC regional executive member in Vhembe accused those who had invested and lost millions in public funds of using any means possible to ascend to power.
“The VBS faction is powerful and it’s the one deploying its comrades to these mayoral and councillor positions. We contest the issue on moral principle, not criminal charges, because when Bila was initially removed the municipality had not received its money,” he said.
Another ANC member in the region, who is sympathetic to Bila, said she could not be punished forever as she was initially removed from the position of mayor in 2018.
“She has paid for her sins and on her side the only issue she is accused of is the oversight, not that she benefitted. If she was mentioned in any report that she influenced the investment we wouldn’t have a problem agreeing with those who are saying she shouldn’t be a councillor,” he said.
ANC spokesperson in the province, Donald Selamolela, said he was not aware of Bila’s election and promised to check with the Vhembe region.
In 2018, the ANC provincial executive committee took a decision to remove all the mayors of municipalities such as Ephraim Mogale, Vhembe, Fetakgomo-Tubatse, Giyani and Lepelle-Nkumpi.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.