The DA has announced that 106 Joburg officials will be arrested on allegations of corruption, following an investigation by the city’s anti-corruption unit.

The DA said that it identified 972 transactions that took place in the City of Johannesburg between January 2008 and February 2016, under the ANC government, relating to fraudulent licencing.

This equated to R14.7 million which was lost through corruption, which could have been better spent on service delivery, the party said.

The party announced that 106 officials were identified, and would now face charges of corruption.

Tackling corruption was one of the key promises made by the DA’s Herman Mashaba during his campaigning in 2016.

Upon entering the Gauteng government, Mashaba criticised the former ANC council which had run the municipality before the 2016 elections, alluding to widespread corruption and nepotism which had hampered service delivery in the metro.

He said he would conduct a forensic audit, targeting expenditure and tenders that have raised suspicion, and that “those found guilty of corruption and fraud will go directly to jail.”

Speaking on the latest devolpment, Mashaba said: “I promised to root out corruption. I am proud to say this administration is living up to that promise.”

“The days when corrupt officials would get a gentle slap on the wrist … are over. I will not rest until a clean, responsive and caring administration that puts our residents first becomes a reality in Joburg,” he said.

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