Outrage over municipality’s R20 million expenditure four times its budget

The DA in the Ketlengrivier municipality in North West has demanded accountability from the local municipality’s municipal manager for R20 million allegedly misappropriated in unauthorised expenditure for litigation cases.

DA councillor Mduduzi Maphanga said the amount was four times more than the tiny municipality’s quarterly budget.

He was concerned that the funds could have been spent on service delivery to the residents of Ketlengrivier.

Delayed sitting

Maphanga demanded that the council speaker Mamikie Molefe speedily convene a special council sitting to discuss the fraud allegations against municipal manager Clement Letswalo.

Molefe has delayed the special sitting which was supposed to convene on 8 May.

Maphanga demanded to know the reason why Molefe had delayed the special sitting.

Letswalo allegedly misappropriated R20 million in unauthorised expenditure on litigation cases.

Many of these cases were resolved by the Council to be challenged in court, as proposed by the DA.

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Maphanga said his party would submit a letter to chief whip Kagiso Sellaolane to request that he speak to the rules committee to charge the speaker for failing to timeously hold the special council sitting.

“The speaker held the council hostage for two months, allowing Letswalo unfettered access to the public purse, being fully aware that he could be suspended.

“In the meantime, residents in Derby and Koster were facing severe water shortages while the municipality tried to negotiate terms of payment with service providers because the funds had already been misappropriated,” Maphanga said.

Molefe’s delay to call the council meeting complicated an existing problem in the municipality.

Councillors should take pay cut

The DA suggested that because of the municipality’s financial constraints, all councillors should reduce their upper salary limits to give financial relief to the cash-strapped municipality.

This should result in more action being taken against Letswalo for allegedly putting the municipality in a dire financial situation.

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“This blow to service delivery by Letswalo is a reminder of the objection the DA and other opposition parties, bar the EFF, made against his appointment.

“The DA will continue to fight for Kgetlengrivier residents,” Maphanga said.

Municipal manager ‘inflated salary’

In a separate matter, Letswalo, who is on suspension, was found to have abused his position by illegally raising his salary and giving himself allowances he was not entitled to.

Ketlengrivier mayor Thabo Jacob earlier said the action was taken after Letsoalo delayed signing a performance agreement with him within the stipulated 60 days.

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