Mayor claims she was exonerated of VBS graft allegations

Bojanala Platinum district municipality mayor Suzan Nthangeni is disputing that she is implicated in a forensic report into VBS Mutual Bank investment graft at Madibeng local municipality.

Instead, Nthangeni, who was MMC for finance at Madibeng municipality in 2017, the time of the illegal investment of R50 million of the municipality’s funds into the VBS Bank, said the report by independent firm Movundlela Consulting that implicated her and three senior officials lacked credibility.

The report accused Nthangeni, manager of financial reporting Lucky Steenkamp, manager of expenditure and acting chief financial officer Siza Rikhotso and Bonolo Koitsiwe, head of cash, investment and grant management, of being involved in the VBS investment graft and recommended that criminal cases be opened against them with the SA Police Service for contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

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The forensic investigation, instituted by then chief financial officer Morris Maluleke, said Steenkamp failed to keep an original contract document signed between Madibeng and VBS on the investment, as required by policy. The document went missing.

The report said Steenkamp and Rikhotso allegedly took the decision to invest with VBS and Nthangeni allegedly suggested VBS be allowed to submit a quote. Rikhotso allegedly instructed that the bank to be chosen for the investment.

It also found they allegedly contravened the MFMA and were suspected of graft.

But when the Movundlela report was tabled in council in 2018, it was rejected by council because it was instituted by Maluleke, who was chief financial officer, as that constituted a conflict of interest and natural justice.

Nobody was implicated by the provincial probe or charged for the VBS matter.

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Maluleke subsequently became a municipal manager and Rikhotso a chief financial officer.

The provincial administration instituted another forensic investigation by audit firm SikelaXabiso and its report was tabled in council and its recommendation adopted. The report absolved Nthangeni, Steenkamp, Rikhotso and Koitsiwe of any wrongdoing.

Recently, some ANC members called for Nthangeni to be removed as Bojanala mayor as the party policy is that no member implicated in the VBS scandal should be appointed to a state position. But Nthangeni said she was innocent as the provincial forensic investigation report, which was adopted by council, exonerated her.

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