A mobile toilet similar to one Mokwena allegedly paid for. Image courtesy of Wiki Media Commons.
Mahikeng municipal manager Thabo Mokwena has come out defending his reputation following corruption allegations from other councillors, including paying R70 000 for a nonexistent mobile toilet.
Mokwena is accused of corruption following a bill of almost R700 000 for a mobile toilet set-up at a taxi rank which councillors said was nonexistent.
The toilet was supposed to stand in for non-functioning public toilets at the Mahikeng taxi rank. Mokwena paid R672 000 without a service level agreement to a service provider to provide the toilets, according to the Sowetan.
The Mahikeng boss held a press conference on Wednesday to clear his name.
He claims the R672 000 he paid to provide six toilets for 30 days was nowhere close to the R5 000 a day paid by council to another service provider. Mokwena is adamant the money spent was in the best interest of council.
According to him, R96 000 was paid for the six toilets, for a 30-day period.
The Mahikeng boss is facing a number of allegations against him. He is also accused of investing R83 million into VBS Bank without following procedure. Mokwena insists the R83 million investment was done procedurally.
He claims the council was forking out R5 000 a day for one toilet to a service provider when he joined them as an accounting officer in 2014.
Asked if there was a cheaper alternative for a mobile toilet, the municipal boss reportedly said Mahikeng was abnormally quoted compared to other cities. He also attributes the exorbitant pricing to the service provider cleaning the toilets regularly.
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