Allegations against municipal manager to be investigated

A special Lesedi Local Municipal council meeting was called on June 28 to discuss the allegations against acting Municipal Manager Advocate Gugu Thimane and the disruption that a group of people caused at the municipal offices in HF Verwoerd Street.

 
Opposition parties believe that the whole matter is a ploy to get rid of Advocate Thimane together with acting Chief Financial Officer Gugu Mncube because they do not stand for corruption and have made a significant effort to turn things around within the municipality.

 
The group accuses Thimane of awarding a multi-million rand contract (involving a security company) without going out to tender. She denies all the allegations and said that she has followed the correct procedures and welcomes and gives her full cooperation towards an investigation into the matter by provincial minister of COGTA, the Auditor-General and Treasury.

 
After employees of the municipality and customers were chased out of the building by men with shamboks and firearms (shouting that they had the approval of Lesedi’s mayor Lerato Maloka) DA and Freedom Front Plus councillors requested an urgent meeting with the Speaker Mr Mluleki Nkosi.

 
The group who identified themselves as the Imbumba Business Association disrupted the daily operations at the municipal building over a period of more than a week. Because of this dangerous and unbearable situation (Advocate Thimane, Mncube and various other people’s lives have openly been threatened) the DA has asked for an urgent meeting to gain more insight into the issues and to discuss the security of the LLM’s staff and public visiting the offices as well as to ensure that service delivery on all levels continue in the interest of residents.

 
The request has been honoured and a special council meeting was called on Friday (June 28) at 09:00 before the mayor’s annual SOMA (State of the Municipal Address) that was held at Heidelberg Heritage Museum.

 
The council was already in sitting at 09:00 and everyone was waiting for the mayor to arrive, when the speaker received a phone call that she (the mayor) will not be able to attend due to a hospital appointment.

 
She did however, arrive at around 11:30 for the SOMA.

 
The Speaker asked councillor Sieg Paul to open the meeting with prayer. It was an emotional prayer where Paul prayed for protection over those people whose lives have been threatened.
Mr Nkosi said council will issue a full statement to the MEC who will only respond after receiving the council’s report on the whole issue.

The speaker openly showed his aversion to those publications who had a one sided report on allegations that were made by Imbumba Business Association even when the matter of the tender has not yet been added to the agenda to be discussed at a formal council meeting. He also disclosed to the meeting that he himself received ‘sporadic media’ questions (he did not disclose any names) demanding that the Speaker respond to allegations about ‘receiving financial benefits’ from the said security company.

 
He disclosed to council that ‘some people’ tried to solicit money from him to keep them from ‘exposing his corruption within the municipality’.

 

“I told them in no uncertain terms what I think about that,” Mr Nkosi told council. He said he refused to even meet with them and he thinks it is important that council be made aware of this.

 

He said he is not afraid, he understands that it is a game of politics and ‘We will stay put, we have accepted an oath to work for our people. These things will happen and we will not bow down,” Mr Nkosi said.

Various members expressed their concern regarding the absence of the mayor at the special meeting. They also requested the beefing up of security measures for councillors, officials and the municipal building in general.

 
Gerry Holtzhausen (DA Councillor) told HERAUT that there are players with political agendas who have been capturing LLM for the past few years and this is their attempt to discredit Advocate Thimane.

“It is also alleged that a dangerous gang linked to the mafia in the Free State is the instrument applied here, threatening people – even with their lives – with Imbumba being used as a front. Thimane has given her full cooperation with an investigation into the allegations, and welcomes it. According to Thimane, she has followed the correct procedures and is confident that the investigation will find her innocent,” Holtzhausen said.

Holtzhausen says Thimane is waiting for the outcome of the investigation before taking further action as advised by her legal team. “They threatened her life and she is now forced to work outside of Heidelberg,” Holtzhausen said.

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