ANC Limpopo secretary accused of ‘purging’ senior officials
ANC provincial secretary in Limpopo Nocks Seabi has been accused of leading a smear campaign to purge senior government officials who failed to bow to the alleged demands of the provincial leadership to award lucrative government tenders.
These serious allegations were made by Makonde Mathivha, former municipal manager of Thulamela Municipality, Capricorn Review reported.
Mathivha went on to say government employees who had failed to bow to the demands of the party’s provincial leadership were threatened with suspension and expulsion. He said those targeted were mostly government officials who had served with former ANC provincial chairperson, Cassel Mathale.
Mathivha was suspended in April this year amid allegations of bringing the name of the municipality into disrepute. Four months later, he resigned.
Last week, Mathivha spilled the beans and branded Seabi “a brutal, cruel, selfish and self-centred ANC cadre, practising political polarisation to maim those who failed to award tenders to service providers close to him”.
“Seabi called me to his office in February soon after I advertised tenders worth over R1 billion on behalf of the municipality. The tenders were for the construction of access bridges and roads. Upon completion, the projects were poised to connect the sprawling municipal villages with the region’s economic hub of Thohoyandou,” Mathivha explained.
“Two of the roads to be constructed were over R100 million gravel to tar from Punda Maria junction to late minister Collin Chabane‘s home village of Xikundu, as well as the Tshififi road from Thohoyandou to Sibasa.
“While in his office, Seabi told me that I was expected to assist the ANC. He then highlighted the names of the companies he wanted the tenders to be awarded to,” Mathivha alleged.
Political analyst, Elvis Masoga, said it was morally, ethically and legally wrong to award tenders to service providers because of their political links to ANC bigwigs. He said this type of method hampered development and promoted the escalation of shoddy work.
The ANC in Limpopo distanced itself. “The ANC in Limpopo denies the allegation that some document handwritten by our provincial secretary gave instructions to the then municipal manager of Thulamela on the awarding of tenders. Only handwriting experts can make such comparisons.
“As an organisation, we uphold the principle that tenders are governed by regulations and relevant legislation as enabled by the ANC government. So these allegations could be neither here nor there,” ANC provincial spokesperson Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on capricornreview.co.za
