Bid to bar whistleblower from Cyril's Joburg meeting fails

Chaos erupted in the City of Johannesburg chambers when the regional chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union, Esther Mtatyana was blocked from entering the premises during a stakeholders meeting attended by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

- By Bongani Mdakane

Sunday World has learned that Mtatyana was barred from entering the chambers, allegedly through orders from high-ranking ANC and City of Joburg officials. The move was allegedly part of efforts to stop her from spilling the beans on corruption and the state of affairs involving Johannesburg Property Company CEO Helen Botes.

Botes is the long-serving JPC boss whose third-term contract ended in September last year. However, it was renewed illegally by the entity’s chairperson and Joburg ANC regional deputy chairperson Simon Motha.

Last Friday, Mtatyana told Sunday World that she had to force her way into the chambers to address Ramaphosa about how Botes was illegally appointed by Motha after her term in office had ended.

She was eventually let into the room when the president's security detail and the police agreed to allow her in to avoid further drama.

Botes’s contract was extended by six months after her term ended in September last year. According to Mtatyana, she was blocked from entering the chambers as it was feared that she was going to spill the beans on the corruption.