Speaker allegedly ditches state vehicle, charges council R40 a litre of petrol for his GTI

Xolani Mthukwane is accused of swindling Letsemeng Local Municipality after he stopped using a state-issued vehicle, claiming inflated kilometre and fuel rates for his private vehicle.

After purchasing a brand new VW GTI in September 2023, Mthukwane stopped using the state-owned Totoya Fortuner, opting to cash in through his private car.

This month, Letsemeng further paid R30 000 for new tyres for the car, according to documents seen by The Citizen.

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‘Fuel claims racket’

Insiders at the corruption-riddled Free State municipality allege that Mthukwane and another staffer, whose name is known to The Citizen, run a fuel claim racket.

“Sometimes the speaker’s associate pours petrol for him, and then the speaker submits claims for between R42 and R45 a litre.

“The speaker left us surprised wondering why he stopped using the Fortuner, little did we know that he was eying the municipal coffers,” said an insider who opted to remain anonymous.

With petrol priced at R24 per litre, Mthukwane and his associate are doubling the price in their claims.

Mthukwane’s vehicle comes with a hefty price tag of half-a-million rand.

Council in the dark

Letsemeng Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Thabo Nthapo said council is never informed about whatever happens in Letsemeng.

“For some time, we thought there could be some mechanical problems with the Fortuner, but it turned out the vehicle was fine.

“There is so much happening in Letsemeng that never makes it to council. The DA will table this vehicle claims matter and get answers, because this is a waste of public funds,” he said.

Phone calls and text messages seeking comment from Mthukwane have gone answered.

Municipal manager Chris Mokomela, who claimed to The Citizen that he fought for media freedom, did not respond after requesting written questions last week.

Irregular appointments, corruption

Mokomela was seconded to Letsemeng by the provincial government after the Labour Court set aside his predecessor Teboho Maine’s appointment in March.

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Letsemeng was dragged to court by the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) for the irregular appointment of Maine.

According to the DA, Letsemeng lacks accountable officers and managers, most of whom were dismissed for their unlawful tenure.

The Citizen has previously published articles detailing the mismanagement and corruption at Letsemeng.

Its former mayor Lebaka is being investigated by the Public Protector for allegedly scoring kickbacks from contractor Bene-Tech which was appointed to service pit toilets.

Letsemeng is one of the many municipalities in the Free State that still use the bucket system and pit toilets, despite hundreds of millions of rands in budgets over the years earmarked for better ablution facilities.

Residents endure poor municipal services and go for long periods without clean drinking water and electricity.

A trip that never happened?

Documents show that Mthukwane, mayor Bonolo Mocwaledi and Lebaka use a company called Relevant and Elegance Trading to claim from Letsemeng.

Lebaka is now finance MMC at Xhariep District Municipality which oversees Letsemeng.

Three weeks ago, the same company, whose bank account is held in Krugersdorp, Gauteng, invoiced the municipality R30 000 for four tyres for Mthukwane’s car.

Last year, Lebaka, Mthukwane and a third councillor named as Ramolahleni submitted a R198 580 invoice through the company.

The trio claimed to have attended SA Local Government Association (Salga) event in Gauteng for three days, with whistleblowers saying that Salga didn’t require Letsemeng officials to attend, doubting the legitimacy of the trip.

The invoice shows three “executive rooms” for accommodation at R18 350 each, three return flights at R14 500 a ticket, rental of a Mercedes Benz V Class at a whooping R70 650.

No receipts or proof of the actual spending were submitted.

Another source said the trip never happened, accusing the three of looting Letsemeng, asking whether they all own Relevant and Elegance Trading.

“No one was required to attend that Salga meeting because Letsemeng is not in good standing with Salga.

“That company is used by the councillors to claim exorbitant amounts with no proof of the actual spending. Does this means the councillors also run the company? Why do they all use one company to claim money?,” asked the anonymous insider.

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