Sekhukhune District’s corruption buster Kgwale takes the helm

The new boss in town has many people, including councillors from opposition parties, eating from the palm of his hand at the corruption-prone Sekhukhune district municipality in Limpopo.

Meshach Mahlagaume Isaac Kgwale has more than 17 years’ experience in local government and has even earned himself the nickname “Mr Superman”.

Kgwale started as an intern at Elias Motsoaledi municipality in 2006. He climbed the ranks to become a manager in the office of the mayor and was later appointed municipal manager.

Kgwale has served under four mayors there – Lionel Seloane, Wendy Matemane, Julia Mathebe and David Tladi.

Is Kgwale the right man to rid council of its problems?

He was appointed new Sekhukhune district municipal manager on 1 October and promised to change the council into a crime-free institution where hard work, teamwork, transparency and the truth superseded lies, gossip, collusion, maladministration, malfeasance and corruption.

He will work initially under mayor Maleke Mokganyetji, who has been asked to leave her post by the ANC in Limpopo.

Although he has his supporters, the mountain of problems he faces in his new post has led others to question whether Kgwale, 53, is the right man to rid the council of its problems.

ALSO READ: Hawks swoop on municipal officials over R5m

The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in 2018 nabbed five senior officials and service providers for allegedly having a hand in the theft of R5.4 million.

Another R12 million was deposited into wrong accounts in 2019 and four senior officials were later suspended. The matter is still being investigated.

Last year the council was accused of awarding a VIP toilet tender to a wife of one of its senior politicians and early this year, the council suspended a senior legal manager, alleging his section had spent R30 million to recoup a stolen R600.

Communities in the region often take to streets to protest the council’s failure to provide drinkable water to the residents.

Four local municipalities being investigated

Four of the district’s local municipalities, Fetakgomo Tubatse, Makhuduthamaga, Ephraim Mogale and Elias Motsoaledi, are being investigated by the Hawks for the 2016-17 illicit investment of public funds, amounting to millions of rands, with the collapsed VBS Mutual Bank.

Asked if Kgwale is the right man for the job, the Democratic Alliance was quick to say: “There is now light at the end of the tunnel.”

“In a period of a week, Kgwale was able to restore a protracted water problem that took the district years to fix,” said DA councillor, John Kotze. “We just hope he will continue doing a good job.”

ALSO READ: Fugitive CFO in R5.4m fraud case turns himself in to police