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ActionSA notes the unfounded allegations levelled at its, President, Herman Mashaba, made by Mr Mesuli Mlandu, during yesterday’s Parliamentary Ad-Hoc Committee in relation to the establishment of Joburg’s first Group Forensic and Investigation Service (GFIS) and the subsequent appointment of General Sibiya as its Executive Head.

The allegations made by Mr Mlandu, who performed the stereotype of a disgruntled former City of Joburg employee, are entirely false and not supported by the facts surrounding the establishment of GFIS and the appointment of General Sibiya as its Executive Head.

These allegations have already been thoroughly investigated by the Public Protector, Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane, and were found to be unsubstantiated in a report in which she tried her level best, to no success, to implicate Mr Mashaba. 

In her report dated the 18th of December 2020 Adv Mkwebane found that: “The allegation that the establishment of Group Forensic Investigation Services (GFIS) and the subsequent appointment of General Shadrack Sibiya as its Executive Head by the CoJ were improper and irregular, is not substantiated.” She further went on to find that the appointment of General Sibiya was in compliance with the relevant legal framework and that she could not fault the process.

As Mayor, Mr Mashaba did not appoint officials outside the narrow purview of his own political office. These appointments were made by the city’s administration in accordance with its policies and municipal legislation. Mr Mashaba’s only involvement in this matter was his insistence that the city must have a world-class forensic team to hunt down corruption, a mandate he received from residents and delivered upon.

It is clear that the allegations raised by Mr Mlandu have already been tested and found to be entirely untrue. Several findings in Adv Mkhwebane’s report were successfully overturned in court, which further demonstrates that even she could not fault the process of establishing GFIS and appointing General Sibiya.

ActionSA believes that General Sibiya has concerning allegations to answer arising from the evidence and testimony presented at the Madlanga Commission and the Ad Hoc Committee, which he will have to account for as both investigations continue. 

On the facts of the matter regarding GFIS and Mr Mashaba’s legacy in Johannesburg, this bold anti-corruption institution investigated over 6 000 cases of corruption and maladministration, totalling more than R35 billion in transactions and resulting in over 900 arrests. This is a legacy that Mr Mashaba and ActionSA stand proudly behind today.

It is clear that as political parties become increasingly nervous about the prospect of an ActionSA mayoral candidate announcement on 21 February 2026, they will go far out of their way to try and discredit the only mayor who ever got Johannesburg moving in the right direction. Mashaba’s legacy in fighting corruption and fixing a broken city remains untarnished and unparalleled, and Joburg residents know this.

Issued by ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont