Mogalakwena employee charged for bringing Municipality into disrepute

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An employee, who accused the Mogalakwena local municipality of siphoning off millions from projects, has been charged with bringing the Municipality into disrepute.

Victor Mokonyane alleges the municipality spent R78 million to paint reservoirs and more than R60 million on legal fees.

Following the circulation of documents containing damning allegations of corruption relating to irregular expenditure on various projects, Mayor Ngoako Taueatsoala addresses the media regarding accusations of corruption made by the employee on social media platforms.

He denies the allegations made by Mokonyane. According to the Mayor, the municipality spent R44 million on the refurbishment of 46 reservoirs thus far and not R78 million as alleged by Mokonyane.

Tauetsoala says Mokonyane has not been suspended but will appear before a disciplinary committee.

“The charge sheet has already been given to Mr Mokonyane to go for the disciplinary process, remember we can charge you else you’re on work and go to the disciplinary process, Mr Mokonyane is on sick leave he is not at work, so they just send him the charges so if you suspend somebody who is already at home is just a waste of time, he received his charge sheet.”

Mokonyane says he has opened a criminal case against the municipality.

“I have already opened a case. I’m not on suspension, they just gave me a call saying that I must provide them with my email, and I provided them with my email, they sent me charge sheets and there is no date which shows when I’m going for a hearing, but I confirm that they give me the charge sheets.”

This is while the municipality is challenging the Polokwane High Court judgment, which set aside the appointment of Moses Maluleka as municipal manager.

The matter will be heard at the Supreme Court in September. Mayor Tauetsoala denies that the municipality has spent more than R60 million on the case.

“The legal costs of the case of the MM we went to court two times or three times is not even more than R5 million of the money that we spent on the case of the MM but there is a narrative, lies that are laying around the social media that we are spending more than R50 million for those costs.”

The Mogalakwena local municipality tabled R1.5 billion for the 2022/2023 financial year. About 29 employees implicated in other corruption cases have been placed on suspension.

Five years ago, Mathabatha put Mogalakwena Municipality under administration by the provincial government and the administration was withdrawn in 2022.