‘Dubious’ ex-manager shortlisted for municipal boss position, despite R1.9bn graft cloud

The Mogale City municipality in Gauteng has raised eyebrows after the selection and interview panel shortlisted a former executive manager who was allegedly responsible for the council’s R1.9 billion mega- projects fiasco, for the position of municipal manager.

Executive mayor Tyrone Gray has confirmed that the municipality’s former executive manager for economic development services Makhosana Msezana is among the three candidates recommended for the municipal manager position.

He confirmed that Andile Dyakala, who was suspended by the Emfuleni local municipality just days after blowing the whistle on allegations of corruption related to a R57 million contract, as well as Khoahli Moeketsi Ernest, were also shortlisted.

“This is correct, however, the report was tabled in committee and has not been reported publicly yet,” he said.

Questionable background

Internal sources who spoke to The Citizen on condition of anonymity claim that as a divisional manager, Msezana was directly responsible for the execution of the municipality’s two mega projects of construction of the incomplete Krugersdorp CBD Taxi Rank and Brickvalley housing project.

When the municipality’s Internal Audit Unit ordered an internal verification audit into the two projects, Msezana allegedly withheld information and key documents from the auditors.

“He refused to cooperate with the audit verification process, hence the report alludes to limitations of scope and recommended the full forensic investigation. So in a nutshell, [Msezana] deliberately withheld the information to frustrate the process,” the official who asked not to be named said.

The Citizen has previously revealed how the mega projects have been marred by poor planning, implementation and monitoring, which has seen cost overruns for the Krugersdorp CBD taxi rank ballooning from R47.7 million to R98.5 million.

The audit, conducted by forensic investigating firm Comperio, has revealed that there was no evidence that bids were solicited and evaluated to select the main contractor for the two projects, or that the contractor had expertise or resources to complete the project within the timeframe and budget.

According to the audit report dated March 2020, R159 million had been spent on the housing project though only 60% was complete, with no evidence to indicate invoices were reviewed prior to payment or supporting documents.

Auditors recommend full forensic investigation

Because of the limited scope of the audit due to lack of information, auditors have recommended that a full forensic investigation be conducted into the municipality’s two mega-projects.

Another source close to the audit said Msezana’s fixed term contract expired in September 2019 and was offered an extension but refused.

“He did not want the extension because of the pending audit report. He was avoiding investigations because had he stayed, he would have been charged and arrested. Now there are behind-the-scenes moves to bring him back as a municipal manager by those who want access to the project funds,” the source said.

He said there were plans for the provincial government to release more funds for the completion of the housing project and that Msezana, who is yet to respond to requests for comment, was being positioned to enable access to these funds.

• siphom@citizen.co.za