Manager at Eastern Cape municipality allegedly stole R90,000

A senior manager in the Ntabankulu Municipality in the Eastern Cape is facing a charge of theft after she allegedly stole R90,000 from the municipal kitty.

Ntabankulu Mayor Tsileng Sobuthongo said the revenue manager was served with an intent to suspend.

She said municipal accounting officers became aware of the missing money while conducting quarterly reports in December.

“The accounting officer discovered that R90,000 in revenue collection had not reached the banks and there was nothing in the municipal safe. An investigation was opened with the chief financial officer (CFO) and, through that investigation, we were able to find the culprit,” the mayor said.

Small amounts

Sobuthongo said the money had been stolen in small amounts from October 2019.

The manager admitted to stealing the money and apologised, she said.

The municipality is one of the Eastern Cape’s rural towns, which relies on government grant funding.

Most of its revenue is from waste collection and traffic fines.

DA chairperson in the Alfred Nzo district, Wonga Potwana, claimed there was an agreement with the CFO for the revenue manager to repay the money in instalments.

This has, however, been strongly denied by the mayor.

Speaking to News24, Potwana said: “The municipality, through the mayor, must open a case and, with the evidence in hand, she must be expelled and recoup the municipality monies.”

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