ActionSA’s Johannesburg Caucus has called on former City of Johannesburg Chief Whip of Council and now Group Corporate and Shared Services MMC Sithembiso Zungu to voluntarily step down from his role in light of the allegations levelled against him.

The party expressed concerns that despite the existence of a prima facie case of corruption and extortion against Zungu, Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero has proceeded with his “reckless” appointment.

It has been alleged that Zungu received funds from CityDev director Bernard Stegmann, deposited into his personal bank account through a company called CityDev Construction, which is involved in housing development projects.

It is claimed that Zungu accepted no less than R400 000 from CityDev as a "protection fee".

ActionSA said it would write to the South African Police Service, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) to investigate these claims.

ActionSA Johannesburg Caucus leader Marcel Coutriers said Morero’s decision to appoint Zungu not only undermined the rule of law but also betrayed the trust and interests of Johannesburg residents.

The party rejected Morero’s “reckless” decision to appoint Zungu as MMC despite the allegations of corruption against him.

“In doing so, the mayor has demonstrated a blatant disregard for good governance and has confirmed that political expediency, rather than integrity, guides the African National Congress’s appointments,” said Coutriers.

ActionSA claims a link between these “dubious appointments” by the governing coalition and the “witch-hunt body” restarted last week to “target and discredit” the fight against corruption and mismanagement in the City of Johannesburg.

Coutriers said that these allegations were not new.

“ActionSA previously submitted a formal request to the then-Speaker of Council Colleen Makhubela, calling for Zungu’s referral to the City’s Ethics Committee for urgent investigation,” he said.

As a party founded on the principles of “accountability and ethical governance”, ActionSA is clear that Zungu must be held accountable.