Lim DA calls on Public Protector to investigate administration in the Mookgophong Municipality
The DA are calling for an investigation by the office of the Public Protector in Limpopo of “irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure by the former ANC administration in the Mookgophong Municipality.
LIMPOPO – The Office of the Mayor in the now DA-led Modimolle-Mookgophong municipality, uncovered six highly irregular and possibly, fraudulent transactions valued at R684 298, entered into by the Office of the former Mayor, Sarah Monyamane, and several service providers in the run-up to the 2016 Local Government Election.
In a statement by Marlene van Staden, Mayor of Modimolle-Mookgopong Municipality, it states a further 11 suspicious transactions, valued at R279 905, have also been flagged.
“These cases relate to the irregular purchasing of gifts in excess of R250 000, which were handed out to voters a week before the election. Other transactions include the hiring of tents, chairs and catering in the month before the election and some of the most shocking transactions include the hiring of 15-seater taxis at amounts in excess of R120 per km,” it states.
Van Staden says several of the transactions were allegedly engineered to fall just below the threshold of R200 000, to avoid compliance with supply chain regulations, which require that it go out on tender.
“It is clear that due process was not followed in many of these cases, as prescribed by the supply chain procedures. Some of the quotations are dubious and in some the authenticity of the companies cannot be verified,” van Staden says.
The Auditor General (AG) of South Africa, in its assessment of the Mookgophong Local Municipality, highlighted gross transgressions with regard to unauthorized expenditure in excess of R32 million, fruitless and wasteful expenditure close to R9 million and material impairments of almost R14 million.
“The AG also found that expenditure was incurred in excess of the approved budget and in contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act. In addition, the AG warned that the former Mookgophong Local Municipality gave business to providers who are in the service of state institutions,” van Staden says.
The DA handed over several files containing the relevant documentation as proof of our allegations and calls for swift investigations into these matters and decisive action against those found responsible.
