Heat in the CDM kitchen

Opposition parties are anticipated to have a field day with what is perceived as a hot potato posed to the ruling party by its mayoral candidate for Capricorn District Municipality (CDM), John Mpe who is caught in a pending R1 million court matter steered by the same institution and named in a 2008 forensic report on alleged tender collusion passed on to the Hawks by the office of his predecessor.
The bomb dropped on the eve of Mpe’s intended inauguration tomorrow (Friday). While the re-surfacing of the report – apparently handed to the Hawks eight years later – is attributed to sour grapes on the part of Mpe’s detractors, fear exists that the new incumbent proposed as the African National Congress’s (ANC) mayoral candidate for CDM would turn on those involved in disciplinary processes within the municipality prior to his hasty resignation from a managerial position in the structure in May this year. The occurrences led to a civil claim which CDM instituted against Mpe the following month, it was learnt.
It is a matter the ANC in Limpopo would be expected to take flack for in the wake of tomorrow’s pre-empted council inauguration. As the ANC in the province faces criticism over regretted loss in voter favour from its own structures and alliance partners demanding answers to poor performance in the local government elections, the matter is widely considered as somewhat of an added conundrum the provincial structure has to deal with.
However, from within ruling party ranks concern was expressed about ANC members who have lost in the elections being seen to be drumming up charges against Mpe and using a strategy to wait for the day of his proposed inauguration to raise matters.
It was established that the date of 13 October this year has been reserved for hearing of default judgment in the matter set in motion against Mpe by CDM two months ago and that Mpe seemingly failed to meet the 20-day period for filing notice of intent to defend, upon being served the combined summons of the Limpopo Division of the High Court dated 28 June this year.
In the particulars of the claim it was set out that Mpe was appointed as personal assistant to the Executive Mayor of CDM towards the end of May 2003 and subsequently requested a transfer from the position of Operations Manager in the mayoral office to the vacant post of Strategic Management and Institutional Development Operations Manager in June 2014. The document further speaks to an apparent breach of contract on Mpe’s part, arising from his alleged failure to report for duty without leave or authorisation from July 2014 to July 2015, which resulted in disciplinary proceedings against him. On 3 December last year the charges were dismissed, whereupon the institution initiated review proceedings of the disciplinary decision. In the documentation it is mentioned that Mpe resigned from his post with immediate effect on 4 May this year, thereby repudiating the contract which was accepted by CDM. Polokwane Observer is in possession of a copy of the resignation letter in which Mpe served 24-hour notice after 13 years in the employ of the institution. As a consequence of his perceived breach of contract and subsequent repudiation, CDM claims to have suffered damages and in the circumstances holds Mpe liable for the payment of R943 167 in salary and benefit payments made to him for the period extending from April 2014 to July 2015.
Polokwane Observer was further furnished with a copy of the confidential 68-page report compiled by a forensic and investigative accounting firm into allegations of collusion between an employee and service provider of the institution dating back to 2008. Reliable sources confirmed that a copy of the report was handed to the Hawks for determination by the office of then CDM Executive Mayor Gilbert Kganyano in the beginning of June this year. When approached for comment, Limpopo Hawks spokesperson Matimba Maluleke said they were not investigating Mpe in any way. He could not confirm whether the Hawks had received a copy of the forensic report.
CDM Communications Manager Jabu Masondo said the institution reserved comment since Mpe was no longer an employee of CDM. He referred Polokwane Observer to the ANC instead. Aluwani Netsianda for the ANC in Limpopo indicated that he would provide comment yesterday (Wednesday) morning, but wasn’t available at the time of going to press.
When approached for comment Mpe said he has never seen any report to that extent and surprisingly whoever got it had been using it to threaten him. He posed the question how the municipality hadn’t charged him if his guilt was evident from the report. The same matter was raised when the decision of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on the mayoral candidates was being influenced, he indicated. Mpe stressed that the disciplinary process was conducted and the matter was dismissed by a chairperson appointed by CDM, which even remunerated him for leave days accrued. He expressed grief to see people wanting to use his name to destroy that of his organisation. “These are two purely political programmes aimed at tarnishing the name of one person. If I were not a candidate for the ANC would I still be subjected to that? It is part of their hunting programme.” He said if he had been found guilty of any wrongdoing he wouldn’t have availed himself to stand as mayoral candidate for the ruling party. He assured that there wouldn’t be any purging during his mayoral term. In conclusion Mpe pledged continued commitment to serving everybody and intolerance towards corruption, which he labelled as stealing from the poor.

YOLANDE NEL
>>observer.yolande@gmail.com

Featured photo: John Mpe.