Local News
New Madibeng speaker allegedly a fraudster─── SABRINA DEAN 07:55 Fri, 24 Jan 2014
Sabrina Dean
Brits - The Madibeng municipality says it cannot comment on a report that its new speaker Douglas Maimane admitted to helping defraud parliament, the government and South Africans of some R18-million in 2006.
Municipality spokesperson Lebogang Tsogang said she is unaware of the claims and must verify them before she can comment.
Maimane was elected speaker of the crisis-hit Madibeng municipality on Tuesday, after the ANC ordered his predecessor, Buti Makhongela, former mayor Poppy Magongwa and former chief whip Solly Malete to resign following a water crisis at the municipality.
Timeslive reports that Maimane - a former ANC MP until he resigned in 2005 at the height of investigations into the travel voucher fraud scandal known as "Travelgate"- pleaded guilty to theft in 2006, months before the trial was due to begin in November of that year.
He was fined R25 000 or three years in prison and a suspended jail term of five years.
Municipality spokesperson Lebogang Tsogang :
