The City of Johannesburg has pushed the release of records detailing R4.07bn in alleged financial misconduct beyond the 4 November elections, after an admitted nine-day administrative delay and an extension calculated in 'court days'. A separate R45.16bn UIFW disclosure raises further questions about accountability, with the identities and disciplinary outcomes of 68 officials still out of public view.

Thirteen financial misconduct cases involving R4.07-billion, a secret council meeting, and officials whose identities have been kept hidden - and the City of Johannesburg only wants you to know about it after the November municipal election.

The City has revealed to Daily Maverick that its deadline for releasing records - sought through a Promotion of Access to Information Act (Paia) application - falls two days after the 4 November municipal election.

At the heart of what Daily Maverick is trying to obtain information on are two separate, and very different, financial accountability cases involving nearly R50-billion in public money.

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The first is an internal City process involving 13 serious financial misconduct matters involving R4.07-billion, referred to the City's independent Disciplinary Board during a closed council meeting on 22 July.

The second involves R45.16-billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful (UIFW) expenditure accumulated over five years and dealt with through Auditor-General and council accountability processes.

The City disclosed the overall R45.16-billion figure in an open council response on 26 August. But the identities and disciplinary outcomes of 68 officials recommended for action following Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) investigations into a historical portion of that expenditure remain undisclosed.

The distinction...