DA demands corrupt municipal managers pay back the money

Limpopo MEC for cooperative governance, housing and traditional affairs, Basikopo Makamu, has reiterated the extended powers of Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu in curbing maladministration, fraud and corruption in municipalities after a Limpopo council was found to have exhausted more than R200 million on legal fees while the institution faces a serious backlog of basic services in communities.

The reminder comes after revelations that the Greater Tzaneen municipality in the Mopani region was found to have spent R259 million on legal fees between 2014 and 2020.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) now says the spending was painting a bleak picture for the municipality and called on Makamu to intervene.

“We want MEC Makamu to hold all section 56 and 57 managers accountable as they are responsible for the payments. Disciplinary action should be taken against all those who were responsible for money being wasted.

“We also demand that the money should be recouped from individuals who are to blame for the poor decisions which resulted in legal action,” said DA councilor in the municipality, Rene Pohl, in a statement.

According to the DA, the money was used for legal fees, including executions, litigation, special consultations, settlements, arbitration, disciplinary hearings, legal opinions and costs.

The DA said between 2019 and 2020, the municipality spent over R175 million of their budget on legal fees.

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