Latest news with #HelenBotes
IOL News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
DA lays culpable homicide charges against JPC CEO Helen Botes over deadly Usindiso fire
Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) Helen Botes faces legal action for alleged failure to manage a city-owned building that burned down, killing dozens. Johannesburg Property Company (JPC) CEO Helen Botes is once again facing legal trouble after the Democratic Alliance (DA) opened a case of culpable homicide against her on Tuesday. The charge stems from Botes' alleged failure to adequately manage the Usindiso building in Marshalltown, which was engulfed in a deadly fire in August 2023 that claimed 76 lives. Dozens of others were injured or displaced. The DA announced that the charge was filed at the Johannesburg Central Police Station. The party announced its State of the City Address (SOCA), where it highlighted numerous challenges facing Johannesburg, including the persistent problem of hijacked buildings. The Usindiso building, which had been illegally occupied, is seen by the DA as emblematic of widespread administrative and infrastructure failures throughout the city. The JPC, a municipal entity, is responsible for managing publicly owned properties in Johannesburg. Botes has served as its CEO for 15 years and also holds the position of acting chief operating officer for the City of Johannesburg. DA Chief Whip in the city council, Nicole Rahn, said pursuing the charge against Botes was a necessary and solemn step. 'That building had become a ticking time bomb, illegally occupied, unsafe, and repeatedly flagged to Ms. Botes as a serious risk. Yet nothing was done,' Rahn said. She added that the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry into the fire laid blame squarely on Botes and the JPC. 'Enforcement was neglected, warnings were ignored, and a building owned by the City of Johannesburg was left to rot until it became a death trap.' 'Botes, as the CEO and accounting officer, had both the authority and the obligation to act. She chose not to, for four years,' Rahn said. Meanwhile, DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku echoed these sentiments, calling for Botes to be held accountable for what she described as 'incompetence.' 'There has been no accountability. So we opened a case of culpable homicide against Helen Botes because the Khampepe report issued recommendations, and they should be implemented,' she said. The commission found that the fatal fire could have been avoided if the JPC had effectively managed the hijacked property. It is recommended that Botes be held accountable. This is not the first time Botes has faced scrutiny. A 2021 Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report previously implicated her in financial mismanagement that cost the city more than R18 million. IOL Politics
News24
05-05-2025
- Business
- News24
The Lead: Zero accountability in Joburg cleaning tender saga
At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the City of Johannesburg's Property Company entity shelled out more than R18 million in what's understood to be inflated payments, all for deep cleaning and sanitation at its premises. The Special Investigating Unit soon smelled a rat. Still, the entity's CEO, Helen Botes, became the city's acting operations executive (COO) on Monday. And even got the backing of senior advocate Pule Seleka to claim the SIU's investigation into her dodgy contract awarding 'lacked evidence'. But as News24 investigative journalist Khaya Koko says the SIU doesn't buy Seleka's claim: 'The SIU says that's impossible because the municipal regulations are (still) the municipal regulations'. Later in the show, host Graeme Raubenheimer tells us how funds struggle to find their way to the Eastern Cape's school feeding scheme. And finally, Cape Town Comic Con organisers say the festival is among the world's most popular.
Eyewitness News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
DA opens criminal case against City of Joburg's acting COO
JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has opened a criminal case against the City of Johannesburg's acting Chief Operating Officer (COO), Helen Botes. She is accused of financial mismanagement, which led to R18 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure. An investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has linked Botes to the irregular awarding of a contract in 2021 to provide cleaning and sanitation services to the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC). Botes has a string of corruption allegations against her, but remains one of the metro's most influential top officials. An investigation by the SIU revealed that Botes and four former colleagues inflated quotes submitted to service providers, resulting in financial losses of over R18 million. READ: CoJ stands by decision to appoint Helen Botes as acting COO Although Botes was previously suspended and later reinstated at the JPC, she was ultimately promoted to serve as the city's COO. DA Johannesburg Caucus leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, is hoping the criminal case opened against Botes will bring some measure of accountability. "We have formally requested that this matter be escalated to the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority. Johannesburg residents deserve to know the truth and deserve real accountability. This is not about politics, it's about principle." The Khampepe Commission of Inquiry also named Botes as one of the officials who must be held accountable for the Usindiso building fire.
