Fury in Limpopo after R3 million paid for boreholes but no work done

A report by the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has revealed that a service provider was paid R3.1 million for work not done after he was contracted by the Mopani district municipality in Limpopo for drilling and equipping boreholes. 

The boreholes were drilled and equipped in the Greater Tzaneen local municipality, but the SIU investigations revealed that they were illegally connected to the Eskom power line and not through transformers as per the municipality’s description.  

According to the municipality’ specification, the boreholes were supposed to have been drilled, equipped and electrified through a transformer so that it could be fully operational. 

Former president Jacob Zuma had in 2017 signed a proclamation that authorised the SIU to probe allegations of corruption and maladministration in the refurbishment and electrification of boreholes in the Mopani district municipality. The boreholes were drilled between 2014 and 2018. When Zuma resigned in February 2018 and Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president by the National Assembly, the SIU investigations were still raging on. 

The SIU’s final report was released to the municipality on 30 November 2021. The report was subsequently presented to the Council on 7 December and 10 February. The report was presented along with the internal municipal investigations.  

The revelations, however, irked the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) which threatened to open criminal cases against those alleged to have committed corruption.  

“The SIU report revealed that then Chief Financial Officer (CFO), turned municipal manager for the Mopani District municipality, Quiet Kgatla, had failed to perform the functions of his office in good faith, diligently, honesty and in a transparent manner,” EFF Limpopo provincial convener Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement. 

“In his corrupt and fraudulent activity, he permitted fruitless and wasteful expenditure in that he approved payments on behalf of the municipality, certifying that transformers were installed whereas the said transformers were not installed. By so doing, he has contravened schedule 2 of section 6 of the Municipal Systems Act.

“The EFF believes strongly that there was collusion between the contractor and Kgatla, and that there was a corrupter and corruptee relationship. We will therefore be opening a criminal case against Kgatla and all parties involved in the transaction,” added Ndlozi. 

Responding to the EFF allegations on Wednesday, Mopani district municipality spokesperson Orders Ngobeni said the SIU report revealed that the satellite manager, responsible for the work at the centre of controversy, had misled both the chief financial officer and the accounting officer by confirming and certifying that the work, as claimed by the service provider, was completed, resulting in the payment of R3.1 million. 

The report also noted that the actions of the municipal manager (who was the chief financial officer then) amounted to negligence and in contravention of Section 171 (2) of the MFMA.  

Ngobeni said the municipality was instituting disciplinary action against the satellite manager. He said the council has since suspended the manager and that disciplinary action is being taken against him.

He added that the council may not rule out the possibility of more officials being brought to book.

Ngobeni said the determination from the council was that it must recover the money from the former municipal manager and the service provider, in line with the provisions of Section 32 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) or in line with the common law. 

“We have since noted the former municipal manager’s resignation, which of course was a unilateral act. We therefore cannot pursue any disciplinary action against him because he is no longer in the employ of the Council and we wish to thank him for the contributions he has made in our programme of building a better life for the people of this district,” said Ngobeni.