Suspended CFO interdicts MEC from tabling damning report

Suspended chief financial officer (CFO) of the Sol Plaatje municipality Lydia Mahloko has interdicted the Northern Cape’s local government executive committee member (MEC) from tabling a damning investigation report which recommends she be criminally charged for flouting supply chain management processes on procurement of fleet, including the purchase of the mayoral vehicle.

Mahloko told The Citizen this week that she had not been formally charged since July last year, when she was suspended, and she has been at home on full salary while the municipality continues to face service delivery failures, including water, sanitation and electricity challenges.

“The MEC planned to table the report to council round about November 29 [last year]. I approached the High Court for an interdict which was granted. The matter is under review,” said Mahloko.

She said the section 106 investigation report, which found her guilty of flouting procurement processes, was flawed because she was never given an opportunity to respond to the allegations. That is why she went to court to have the findings of the report set aside and reviewed.

In July 2018, the MEC responsible for local government established a section 106 investigation team in terms of section 106 (1) of the Municipal Systems Act to investigate various allegations of impropriety levelled against certain officials of the municipality.

The team was mandated to investigate whether irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure were incurred on the repairs and maintenance of the mayoral vehicles, given the subsequent purchase of a new mayoral vehicle, and the appointment of consultants and service providers.

Mahloko denied she had committed any act of misconduct or acted in any corrupt manner. She said that she was being persecuted for advocating for women’s empowerment and for small-contractor development in the municipality.

Northern Cape Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Andrew Louw said the ANC was allowing factionalism to overshadow the findings of the damning section 106 report.

“This is because the failing ANC has left decades of corruption unchecked at the expense of service delivery.

“This is because millions of rands have been diverted away from service delivery into private bank accounts of connected individuals. Sol Plaatje is no exception.

“The damning, yet untouchable section 106 report into maladministration within this municipality, is a prime example.”

He said the report also raised questions regarding granting access to the suspended municipal manager and the CFO to the municipal IT (computer) system.

It also mentioned a Hawks investigation into irregular appointments of friends and family members, as well as her inability to account for all the expanded public works programme workers on the system.

– gcinan@citizen.co.za

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