Cape Town opposition parties picket outside Civic Centre ahead of the council meeting. Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Media
POLICE remained tight-lipped about the details of their meeting with Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis to shed light on the investigation that led to the offices of Mayoral Committee Members JP Smith and Xanthea Limberg being raided over an ongoing tender fraud case that is currently before the court.
It was at this meeting this week that apparently not enough evidence was placed before Hill-Lewis to suspend the two mayco members pending the outcome of the police probe.
Hill-Lewis had been under increasing pressure to suspend Smith and Limberg. They were thrust into the spotlight on Friday when the Commercial Crimes unit of the provincial police swooped on their offices at the Civic Centre as part of a forensic investigation stemming from the tender fraud case.
Following the meeting on Wednesday, Hill-Lewis said there was “insufficient evidence at this stage to justify the suspensions” of Smith and Limberg. He said unless substantive evidence was forthcoming, there was no basis to suspend either of the two from the Mayoral Committee.
“I have further sought and since received a legal opinion from senior counsel affirming my view that this is the correct course of action in the current circumstance,” he said in a statement.
Approached for comment on Thursday, police confirmed the meeting took place but would not answer questions about what was discussed.
Police spokesperson Andre Traut would only say: “Be advised that this office can confirm that the Western Cape SAPS met with the Mayor of Cape Town and the Provincial Commissioner.”
Police also did not respond to requests for comment on allegations that Smith was tipped-off about being under investigation.
Before Thursday’s council meeting, which was controversially moved to the virtual platform over fears of being disrupted, there was chaos when the councillors of opposition parties tried to access the Cape Town Civic Centre as the virtual meeting continued.
Addressing the meeting, Hill-Lewis maintained why he would not act against Smith and Limberg.
Politically, Smith is Hill-Lewis’ boss as the DA’s metro chairperson.
“One cannot allow every untested allegation to end a person’s career,” he said.
Opposition parties including the ANC, EFF, FF+, Patriotic Alliance and Good Party have since sought their own meeting with the police top brass in the province over the raid.
In a joint statement, they said: “We are jointly concerned by statements made by Councillor JP Smith and Ms Helen Zille of the DA, relating to the ongoing police investigation into tender fraud involving Smith and Xanthea Limberg. Smith, a member of the mayoral committee on safety and security in Cape Town, has claimed that the investigation is politically motivated and part of a plot against him. Both Smith and Zille have claimed that they were tipped off about the investigation last year.
“Mayor Hill-Lewis has also come out in defence of Smith and Limberg saying that he was not convinced by evidence presented by SAPS that the pair should be suspended.Their allegations raise serious questions about the integrity of the investigation and the possibility of political interference in the work of the SAPS,” they said in a statement.
The parties said it was not their intention to engage with SAPS on the merits of the case but rather to unpack the DA narrative of alleged political involvement and the potential of a SAPS leak. The meeting is set to take place on Monday.
Limberg referred the Cape Times to a previous statement where she denied any wrongdoing while Smith did not respond to requests for comment on the matter by deadline.
Cape Times