VANDERBIJLPARK – Mkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) has laid charges of fraud and corruption with the Vanderbijlpark police against several Emfuleni Local Municipality departments.
This comes after reports of a R16m irregular expenditure scandal linked to the municipality’s Fleet Department.
The scandal was uncovered when a forensic investigation into the 2023/2024 financial year, flagging several serious issues, was delivered on February 26 by Tshangana & Associates Inc.
Investigation uncovered gross mismanagement in the verification, acquisition, maintenance, and insurance of municipal fleet assets.
On March 13, MKP members demonstrated outside the police station as their leaders were being attended by SAPS officers.
Speaking to Ster, MKP member and community activist Themba Vutha Mnisi explained their stance: “We opened a case against management of Emfuleni, especially the CFO’s office, including the office of the MMC of Finance and the office of the Fleet manager.”
“We demand answers and accountability on where public funds are used. We also want to see the law play its role in making arrests of implicated individuals on the money that has been stolen, all in the name of procuring a fleet. The community’s money is repeatedly being looted and stolen in this fashion,” he said.
Mnisi said the public and MKP have been fighting the stealing of money in the municipality without anyone being taken into account, and hope the case will see justice played out.
“We’ve been fighting this war for a long time, because we know what is going on with public funds. We hope this time heads will roll and people will be brought to book,” he said.
While Emfuleni has claimed to be conducting internal investigations, Mnisi said the people do not have hope in internal investigations. “We can’t trust anything happening internally. The money was also stolen internally. At the end of the day, the citizens are the custodians of this municipality. Without us, there is no municipality. They [municipal officials] can’t make resolutions without the people [citizens],” he added.
Mnisi said they are going to escalate the matter and call for the suspension of officials leading the implicated departments.
“We are going to write to the Municipal Manager to suspend four officials in those offices. If we are not happy with the officials heading those departments, we have a right to advocate for their removal and the MM must put the right people in those offices,” he concluded. Ster is waiting for comment from ELM.
ELM spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said the municipality is aware of the case that has been opened, but questioned its basis, stating that even MMC Mako appears unclear about the matter.
“This case lacks both substance and factual grounding. It reflects opportunistic politicking rather than a genuine concern, and is a clear example of populism at its worst,” he said.
