Acting manager of North West municipality appears in court

The acting municipal manager of Madibeng Local Municipality, Morufa Moloto (37), and her partner Letladi Emmanuel Ramoroka (39) appeared in the Ganyesa Magistrate’s Court today after being charged with corruption.

They were arrested by the Hawks on Friday following an investigation into allegations of corruption by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation Unit. Both were granted R15 000 bail, and the case was postponed to August 28 for further investigation.

According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula, their arrest stems from an investigation into the awarding of a tender to supply and deliver eight laptops for the Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality in Ganyesa.

“The investigation revealed that a municipal official, a 37-year-old female, awarded her alleged partner’s company, a 39-year-old male, a tender worth R185 000 to supply and deliver the laptops. Investigations uncovered that the tender was awarded to a bidder with the highest quotation. In March 2018, the municipality reportedly paid a company belonging to the municipal official’s partner an amount of R185 000. Upon receiving the funds, the partner allegedly transferred an amount of R150 000 to a company belonging to the municipal official,” Mathebula says.

Moloto was employed by Kagisano Molopo Local Municipality as chief financial officer and was precautionarily suspended in 2018 while investigations into alleged misconduct were ongoing. She was appointed as chief financial officer at Madibeng in January 2023 and as acting municipal manager in April.