/ 14 September 2001

Phone taps confirmed

Mail & Guardian reporter

Nearly three months after the Mail & Guardian obtained proof that Cromet Molepo, the CEO of Umgeni Water, had illegally tapped the telephones of his employees, an investigation by Pietermaritzburg attorney Julian von Klemperer has corroborated the M&G’s expos.

Molepo has now gone into hiding after he resigned on September 3. He is believed to have resigned in a faxed letter to the water authority. Since then his phones have all been unanswered and his cellphone has been switched off.

Omar Latiff, chairperson of the board of Umgeni Water, has confirmed he has also been unable to contact Molepo.

Latiff has vowed that, notwithstanding his resignation, Molepo will still face a disciplinary hearing.

In a statement Latiff said: “In light of the evidence collected by attorney Julian von Klemperer, the board has resolved to suspend Cromet Molepo immediately and to subject him to disciplinary proceedings at which his response to the allegations can be obtained and a decision taken on his guilt or otherwise in respect of charges levelled at him.”