DA chief whip to be referred to integrity commission over Faku statements

The Buffalo City Metro council has resolved to refer DA chief whip and municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) member Anathi Majeke to its integrity commission over claims she made about mayor Princess Faku’s alleged failure to attend oversight meetings.

The move follows a special council sitting that was postponed on Wednesday, with tensions flaring over the reasons for the delay.

Majeke had suggested that Faku’s alleged non-attendance at Mpac engagements had delayed the finalisation of a report, which was due to be tabled on Wednesday, and contributed to the postponement of the meeting.

On Thursday, council adopted a resolution, on Faku’s recommendation, to refer Majeke to the integrity commission over those assertions.

The dispute centres on Mpac’s 2025/2026 financial year oversight report, which had been due to be tabled on Wednesday but was delayed.

Faku rejected suggestions that she was responsible for the postponement, saying the report itself had been referred back earlier this year due to deficiencies.

Buffalo City Metro mayor Princess Faku’s repeated failure to appear before the municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) forced the postponement of a special council meeting on Wednesday, after a key oversight report could not be finalised. The meeting was abruptly called off just over two hours after it began and rescheduled for Thursday when it emerged that the report, central to the day’s agenda, was still outstanding. Council chief whip Sangweni Matwele moved for the postponement, citing the absence of “some compliance reports”, including the Mpac report. However, councillors across parties said the delay stemmed from Faku’s failure to attend a series of Mpac public hearings where she was expected to account for the operations of her office and the municipality. The Mpac report, now set to be tabled on Thursday, states that the committee “observes with grave concern that the executive mayor did not attend the engagement sessions despite having submitted written responses”. It said Faku’s actions “impact oversight negatively, as there is loss of direct accountability, inability to probe responses, undermining of Mpac’s authority, creation of disconnect between political and administrative accountability and in contradiction with constitutional principles”. The report had previously been tabled in March without input from the mayor’s office and the BCM Development Agency and was rejected by the council as incomplete. Mpac was instructed to hold public hearings with the mayor and resubmit a final report. Those engagements failed to materialise. Faku was initially scheduled to appear on March 19 and again between March 23 and 26 but did not attend. Another meeting on April 21 at the Mpekweni Beach Lodge, near Port Alfred, also collapsed, despite her presence, after the municipality failed to provide for the livestreaming of proceedings for public participation. Mpac members described the meeting as a “fruitless and wasteful exercise”. A further public hearing was scheduled for April 24 in Mdantsane, but Faku again did not attend, sending mayoral committee member Yomelela Tyali in her place. Mpac was expected to consolidate its report after that engagement ahead of Wednesday’s council sitting, but the process remained incomplete, leaving the report unavailable for tabling. The decision to postpone drew criticism from opposition benches, with some councillors questioning both the process followed and whether the report would be ready in time. ATM councillor and Mpac member Mandisa Mashiya warned the report might not be ready by Thursday. While the standard [Municipal Finance Management Act] requires Mpac to interrogate the annual report and hold public hearings to ensure accountability, this cycle was compromised by political manoeuvring and the mayor being evasive, despite a number of invitations being sent to her DA chief whip Anathi Majeke said the party had also opposed the postponement and questioned whether the Mpac report could be lawfully introduced at a reconvened meeting as it had not been circulated within the required 48-hour timeframe. “As the [Wednesday] meeting was legally convened and constituted in accordance with the standing rules and orders, there was no rational or legal basis for its delay. “Specifically, the absence of the Mpac report does not constitute a compliance failure sufficient to halt proceedings but rather reflects a broader pattern of failing to provide necessary documentation to councillors and the public, as required by law.” At the centre of the impasse is Mpac’s oversight of issues raised in the municipality’s annual report, including R646.8m in unauthorised expenditure, failing infrastructure, continued reliance on consultants, lack of consequence management and persistent financial instability. The DA said oversight process had been marred by tension between the mayor and Mpac, accusing the executive of avoiding accountability. “While the standard [Municipal Finance Management Act] requires Mpac to interrogate the annual report and hold public hearings to ensure accountability, this cycle was compromised by political manoeuvring and the mayor being evasive, despite a number of invitations being sent to her,” Majeke said. She said the process was further undermined when the Mpekweni meeting collapsed. “This failure effectively excluded the community from the oversight process and delayed the legislative timeline.” Metro spokesperson Bongani Fuzile said Faku “rejects any suggestion that delays in the MPAC process can be attributed to [her].” “The delay in finalising the Mpac process cannot be attributed to the executive mayor. The annual report was dealt with through the section 129 oversight process, and council referred the report back for revisions as required by law and any suggestion that begin put blame to the executive mayor is not only mischievous but a distortion of facts. “The relevant postponements were linked to committee scheduling and broader institutional commitments, not to any deliberate avoidance by the executive mayor.” Fuzile said Majeke was a member of Mpac and part of its internal processes, adding “she is part of the successes and failures of Mpac”. Responding to the failed Mpekweni meeting, he said: “If she [Majeke] was effective in her role as the Mpac member, the meeting at Mpekweni wouldn’t have been postponed in the presence of the executive mayor. “Any fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as a result of the committee’s disorganisation, she is equally liable and accountable for such loss.” Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone Daily Dispatch

In a statement issued on Wednesday night, she also took aim at Mpac, accusing the committee of exceeding its mandate and straying into executive functions.

“The report is marked by mandate overreach, with Mpac venturing beyond its oversight function into executive terrain,” Faku said.

She said the committee was “issuing prescriptive, time-bound directives”, which she argued undermined the separation of powers in municipal governance.

Faku further criticised what she described as the report’s “analytic posture”, saying that while it identified governance challenges, it “frequently extrapolates beyond the evidence”.

“What must be resisted, however, is the weaponisation of oversight for political expedience. Oversight is a constitutional obligation, not a campaign platform,” she said.

She also raised concerns about the alleged use of confidential audit material in the report, warning that this could compromise the integrity of internal processes between auditors and municipal management.

However, Mpac’s report, tabled in council on Thursday, paints a different picture, raising concerns about the mayor’s non-attendance at public hearings.

The report, presented by committee chair Dr Mike Basopu, states that the committee “observed with grave concern that the executive mayor did not attend the engagement sessions, despite having submitted written response” to questions.

It says this affected oversight by limiting the committee’s ability to probe responses and undermining direct accountability.

Basopu acknowledged that the committee had faced challenges related to Faku’s availability, but denied that this was the reason the report was not ready on Wednesday, describing that claim as a “myth”.

He said the delay was due to technical issues that needed to be resolved before the report could be finalised.

The report was eventually tabled during a reconvened council meeting on Thursday, but the DA walked out before proceedings could get under way.

The party argued that the meeting had been reconvened unlawfully after Wednesday’s sitting was postponed and indicated it would challenge the matter legally.

Council speaker Humphrey Maxegwana rejected those concerns, saying council had obtained legal advice allowing it to proceed.

Yomelela Tyali, who assumed the role of acting mayor when Faku excused herself from the meeting, said that Mpac was not above council and that council could intervene if the committee failed to execute its duties.

Basopu recommended that the adopted report be made available to the public, provincial legislature, provincial treasury and Cogta within seven days.

Reacting to Majeke’s referral, DA councillor Geoff Walton questioned why only one Mpac member had been singled out.

“In the initial council meeting, the chair of the committee alluded to the executive mayor not attending Mpac sessions arranged for her to account in public, as a challenge.”

The developments highlight growing political tension within council over accountability processes, with both the executive and oversight structures accusing each other of undermining governance.

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