Seven eThekwini Municipality employees have been charged with misconduct involving diesel theft.
These employees were fired from October last year until September this year, with 4 being fired in August this year.
According to the municipality, two of the dismissed employees used false information to obtain diesel from the municipality’s internal diesel filling stations over a period of about a year, causing the municipality to lose millions of shillings.
Municipal Manager, Mr. Musa Mbhele, said the dismissal of these employees demonstrated the municipality’s commitment to ensuring that it promotes clean leadership and prevents the exploitation of public resources.
“The resources of this city belong to the people of Durban and must be used to provide services. We will ensure that anyone who abuses the trust placed in them, regardless of their position, is held accountable,” said Mbhele.
He said the municipality is committed to building honest leadership that will be trusted by residents.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Ngcobo, director of the municipal investigation office, City Integrity and Investigations, confirmed that the employees involved will be subject to disciplinary action involving municipal property and services.
He also pointed out that theft and corruption are depriving citizens of the services they need.
“All the money lost through theft is money that doesn’t go towards delivering services to our citizens. We will take strong action against the person who committed the crime and disciplinary procedures will be strengthened,” he said.
The municipality has urged residents, labor unions, as well as businesses and community organizations to work with the municipality to strengthen integrity and curb corruption.
