UPDATE 2025/05/28 – 18:07: Sedibeng mayor Lerato Maloka not officially suspended — DA councillor

Earlier reports that Sedibeng District Municipality Mayor Lerato Maloka had been suspended appear to have been premature.

According to Cllr Salome Janse van Rensburg, a DA councillor in Sedibeng, the mayor has not yet been suspended.

“The mayor has not been suspended yet. We sent a recommendation through to the MEC to have her suspended. She has not been suspended yet,” Janse van Rensburg told Vaalweekblad on Wednesday.

Vaalweekblad initially reported that Maloka had been suspended following an in-committee council meeting held on Wednesday afternoon. This information was based on sources within the municipality who indicated that a resolution to suspend her had been adopted behind closed doors.

However, as the meeting was held in-committee, it was closed to both the media and the public. We now understand that while a recommendation for suspension may have been made, the final decision rests with the MEC for Cooperative Governance, and no official suspension has taken place as of yet.

We regret the error and are committed to keeping readers updated as tThe he situation develops.

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The Sedibeng District Municipality mayor Lerato Maloka has been suspended, just hours after she publicly called for an independent investigation into growing allegations surrounding her office.

The decision to suspend Maloka was taken during an in-committee meeting of the Sedibeng Council on Tuesday afternoon, shortly after 16:00. According to multiple sources within the municipality, the resolution follows the outcomes of two investigations: one into suspected sabotage of Maloka’s official vehicle, and another into her controversial trip to Germany.

Earlier on Tuesday, Maloka released a public statement denying wrongdoing and requesting an independent probe to address what she described as “mounting political attacks.” Her call came in response to increasing pressure over the alleged placement of sugar in her official car’s engine, unanswered questions about her international travel and the disappearance of a mayoral chain.

The embattled mayor’s suspension comes amid mounting scrutiny over her leadership. In January this year, she was removed via a motion of no confidence — only to be re-elected days later. Last week, Vaalweekblad reported that the district’s ceremonial mayoral chain has been missing since 2022, adding to the list of unresolved issues tied to her administration.

In 2023, the ANC also recalled Maloka as its mayoral deployee in Sedibeng — though she continued in office under contentious circumstances.

It is not yet clear who will act as mayor following the suspension, or what the timeline is for disciplinary or legal proceedings.

This is a developing story.