EFF accuses Mopani Municipality of ‘selective justice’

LIMPOPO – Mopani District Municipality (MDM) has responded to the EFF’s accusations that it is implementing “selective justice” by dismissing chief financial officer (CFO) Sibongile Peggy Mathebula while keeping the municipal manager in office.

Tender scandal and calls for forensic probe

EFF Chief Whip in the MDM council, Austin Mabasa, argued that it is not possible for a single person to irregularly appoint a service provider or steal funds without the involvement of the municipal manager.

“When the adjudication committee finishes selecting a service provider, everything is sent to the municipal manager for approval.

“Then again, after the service provider has rendered the service, the invoice must be signed by the municipal manager before it is sent to the CFO’s office for payment processing,” he explained.

“It is therefore not impossible for such repeated, high-level governance failures, especially those involving multimillion-rand tenders, to occur in isolation.

“The CFO could not have acted alone; other officials, such as bid adjudication committee members, the municipal manager, councillors, and possibly external service providers could have been involved,” he said.

“The EFF therefore demands an immediate, urgent and comprehensive forensic investigation into all implicated parties, including the full recovery of any irregular, fruitless or wasteful expenditure linked to Ximatsatsa Investment,” he added.

Mopani Municipality responds

Responding to the allegations, MDM spokesperson Odas Ngobeni dismissed the claims and said the disciplinary process followed all required legal procedures.

“The disciplinary process was conducted in accordance with the principles of substantive and procedural fairness as contemplated in Section 188 of the Labour Relations Act and Schedule 8 thereof,” he said.

CFO found guilty on multiple charges

Ngobeni said the CFO faced eight charges and was found guilty on at least seven of them, including the main charge of gross negligence relating to the irregular endorsement and recommendation of Ximatsatsa Investment (Pty) Ltd for inclusion on a tender panel despite knowing that the entity did not submit a bid under Tender No. 2022/23-018.

“The evidence points to the fact that the CFO issued an unlawful instruction to her subordinate, the supply chain manager, to capture a purchase order in favour of Ximatsatsa Investment, an entity that was not on the panel of approved service providers and had not participated in any competitive bidding process,” he said.

Read also: Mopani CFO dismissed after misconduct hearing

He further stated that the supply chain manager who was in office at the time also faced a disciplinary hearing and was issued with a final written warning after cooperating with the investigation and testified against the CFO, saying he acted under her instruction.

“One of the mitigating factors considered was that he cooperated with the investigation,” Ngobeni said.