Malema said Polokwane gave jobs and contracts to Zimbabweans, while the municipality accuses the EFF leader of electioneering.
The Polokwane municipality says allegations of foreigner favouritism by EFF leader Julius Malema are baseless.
This was after he took to the stage during a Siyabonga Rally in his home town of Seshego last weekend and accused mayor Makoro John Mpe of awarding lucrative municipal contracts to foreigners and leaving locals in the lurch.
Polokwane municipal tenders
Malema pulled no punches.
“No one is going to eject us from the problems created by John Mpe but ourselves, because we are the ones who got ourselves into this mess in the first place. This man took all the tenders and gave them to Zimbabweans. This happens at the time our own children in Polokwane remain unemployed.
“We don’t deny the fact that Zimbabweans must be given jobs, but let them be given jobs in their own municipalities in Harare, while we also get jobs from our own municipalities,” Malema said to thunderous applause from the crowd.
He also accused the municipality of giving jobs to pals as well as exchanging jobs for sex.
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A resident, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity, echoed Malema’s sentiments.
“The writing is on the wall. This municipality is controlled by Zimbabweans, proof of which is the recent appointment of another Zimbabwean national as director of water and sanitation.”
Malema accused of electioneering
But the municipality brushed the allegations aside, calling them an electioneering ploy by the EFF ahead of the municipal polls next year.
Municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala said it was untrue that municipal tenders were awarded only to foreign nationals.
“The Polokwane municipality is currently doing business with over 150 contracting companies. Out of this number, fewer than eight are foreign-owned and even in those cases, some are joint ventures with South African partners. The overwhelming majority of service providers are South African-owned.
“We categorically reject the allegation that tenders are reserved for foreign nationals. All tenders are awarded in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), supply chain management policies and other prescripts of good governance.
“The municipality remains committed to empowering local entrepreneurs, with particular focus on youth, women and people with disabilities in line with national transformation imperatives,” Selala told The Citizen.
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Zimbabwean appointed director of water and sanitation in Polokwane
The Polokwane municipality has also been criticised for appointing a Zimbabwean, Kennedy Chihota, as its director of water and sanitation.
“It is further important to know that the appointment of the director of water and sanitation, Mr Chihota, was a council decision, duly recommended for concurrence by the MEC of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs, Basikop Makamu.
“Chihota is the first foreign national ever appointed at senior management level in this municipality. His appointment was based solely on merit, qualifications and decades of experience in South Africa,” Selala said.
Asked what qualifications and experience he had that no local applicant had, Selala said Chihota came highly recommended for the position.
“He has held senior roles at the University of Limpopo, Capricorn district municipality, the city of Cape Town Metro, Ekurhuleni metro, and Ekurhuleni Water Care Company.
“He holds four masters degrees, including one from Stellenbosch University, and brings extensive technical expertise that will assist the municipality in establishing a dedicated water entity. His appointment is therefore not about nationality but about competence and service delivery,” he said.
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