Top Empowerment Awards Withdraws 2020 Honour From Ekurhuleni City Manager Imogen Mashazi
- Citizen activist Andrew Cox petitioned the Top Empowerment Awards committee to review Imogen Mashazi's Public Sector Leader accolade
- Mashazi appeared in the Germiston Magistrate's Court on charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice after her arrest on 8 July
- Awards CEO Ralf Fletcher confirmed the committee's decision, saying Mashazi could reapply if she is found innocent
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GAUTENG — The Top Empowerment Awards committee has stripped former Ekurhuleni city manager Imogen Mashazi of her 2020 Public Sector Leader award following her recent court appearance on serious criminal charges.
According to the Sunday Times, citizen activist Andrew Cox initiated the process by formally petitioning the awards committee to review the honour, arguing that allowing Mashazi to retain recognition for accountability, sound financial management, and ethical leadership would undermine the programme's credibility while her criminal case remained unresolved.
Mashazi faces fraud and corruption charges
Mashazi was arrested on 8 July and appeared before the Germiston Magistrate's Court alongside three co-accused on charges of fraud, corruption, and defeating the ends of justice. She was granted R50,000 bail, and the matter was postponed to 28 August.
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Awards CEO Ralf Fletcher confirmed that the committee resolved to withdraw the honour after her court appearance. He added that Mashazi would be entitled to reapply for the award should she be cleared of all charges once the cases are concluded. The committee notified the city council of the decision but was unable to contact Mashazi directly, as she is currently suspended and her phone has been confiscated.
A tenure marked by controversy
The charges against Mashazi are the latest in a series of controversies that dogged her time as accounting officer for the City of Ekurhuleni. Among the allegations are that she unlawfully approved R2.66 million in salary increases for two senior executives and obstructed disciplinary proceedings against deputy EMPD chief Julius Mkhwanazi.
Mashazi also attracted public scrutiny after footage of her wearing luxury designer goods circulated widely online, including an Audemars Piguet watch, Bvlgari jewellery, and Hermès shoes. The Sunday Times subsequently reported that she benefited from high-end trips funded by third parties, among them a R3.5 million private jet journey to London in 2022 paid for by XET Solutions, a company that received lucrative contracts from Ekurhuleni.
Additional trips to Durban and Lesotho were reportedly valued at R1.2 million. Cox maintained that placing the award under review struck the appropriate balance between upholding due process and protecting the integrity of the accolades.
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Mashazi speaks out on corruption charges
In a related article, Briefly News reported on the recent court proceedings involving Imogen Mashazi and Kemi Behari, who were granted R50,000 bail each after facing serious allegations of corruption and fraud. Their claims of innocence and assertions that the charges are unfounded raise significant questions about the current state of governance within the Ekurhuleni Metro administration.
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Source: Briefly News
