JOHANNESBURG – Mayor of uMngeni, in KwaZulu-Natal, Christopher Pappas said there is no corrupt relationship between his municipality and a company his fiancé used to work for.
This follows a complaint to the Public Protector by former Democratic Alliance (DA) leader and now African National Congress (ANC) member, Sizwe Mchunu.
Mchunu alleged that in December 2022 the uMngeni municipality gave R100,000 to the non-profit organisation, uMngeni Tourism, which at the time was chaired by Pappas’ fiancé – Jean-Pierre Prinsloo.
The allegations come as Pappas was recently unveiled as the premier candidate for the DA in KwaZulu-Natal.
Pappas said the municipality has been providing grant funding to uMngeni Tourism before he was elected mayor in 2021.
Shortly after Pappas was elected, Prinsloo resigned from his job as eThekwini’s ward 66 councillor to move to uMngeni.
In April 2022, Prinsloo was appointed chairperson of uMngeni Tourism, an NPO established in 2013 that used to be known as Howick uMngeni Community Tourism Organisation.
Pappas said anyone who has information of impropriety should come forward.
“We have never put out a tourism tender as a municipality so there is no money that happened moved.”
Prinsloo left uMngeni tourism in July this year.