DA seeks answers about alleged tender fraud in Thaba Chweu

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) recently accepted a motion to investigate alleged tender fraud in the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality (TCLM).
This motion was presented by Sonja Boshoff, a DA member of parliament, at the NCOP meeting in Cape Town on November 9.

Spiros Couvaras, a DA councillor, said there was alleged misappropriation regarding grant funds in three tenders.
These allegations concern the Simile Substation, 117 prepaid meters that were to be installed in Nkanini (Sabie), and 111 prepaid meters to be installed in Mashishing. Grants were received from the Provincial Treasury for these projects.

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After several of Couvaras’s attempts for explanations about the alleged misappropriation of grant funds, TCLM failed to explain how the funds for these projects could be depleted. The tenders were awarded to two companies, and only part of the scope of work has been completed.
This investigation has been escalated to the Mpumalanga Hawks.
In addition to the above allegations, the DA is also demanding an investigation of boreholes that have not yet been installed.

A whistle-blower, a senior manager of TCLM, released a report to the oversight committee regarding the boreholes. According to the report, senior officials allegedly received financial kickbacks after awarding certain tenders.
Couvaras said the alleged implicated officials must be investigated in accordance with the Municipal Finance Management Act.

“The municipality has not communicated its stance on the report, and no internal investigation has been initiated. Instead, the whistle-blower has been victimised and received death threats. The former municipal manager, Sphiwe Matsi, is allegedly also named in the report. The DA escalated this matter to the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta). In a written response to the municipality’s executive, the department concurred with the DA to have her removed. Again, the Thaba Chweu leadership endorsed ANC cadre deployment and resisted a Cogta resolution at the expense of taxpayers,” said Couvaras.

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Following her disastrous tenure as the municipal manager, the DA said it believed that senior TCLM officials were involved in this alleged tender fraud, and that they should be investigated. “The Mpumalanga Hawks have already started fighting the alleged rot in the municipality’s licensing department by arresting those implicated in the corruption. Residents of this municipality have been denied an accountable government that prioritises service delivery in a sustainable manner. The DA will closely monitor the appointment procedure of a new municipal manager to make sure that the rule of the law is upheld when selecting a suitable candidate,” said Couvaras.
TCLM had not yet responded to the above allegations by the time of going to press.