By Libuseng Nyaka
QWAQWA – In a jaw-dropping display of outrage, members of the Parliament Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) confronted local officials in Maluti-a-Phofung following revelations of deep-rooted corruption.
The committee visited Maluti-a-Phofung on February 27, 2025, as part of its oversight following persistent complaints about a municipality that has received a disclaimer audit opinion for five consecutive years. Both the municipal administration and political leadership did not hold back as they vented their frustrations over the challenges facing this poverty-stricken area.
During the session, Municipal Manager Advocate Mzwakhe Motsoahae Mofokeng addressed the committee. He began by touting his team as competent and highly qualified but soon lost momentum when pressed on measures to prevent yet another disclaimer audit opinion.
Mofokeng attributed the problems to systemic issues dating back to the previous administration. “What the Auditor-General has highlighted are material irregularities due to unavailability of records and a totally dysfunctional ICT system. These issues have brought us to this point.
“The employee working in the EMS submitted a false balance sheet—a clear case of copy and paste. This individual, employed by former administrator Amos Goliath for a post that never officially existed, is serving her last day on February 28, 2025. I will soon appoint someone with the proper skills and competence to do the job.”
During his presentation, Mofokeng also expressed his frustration with the challenge of working with relatives in the municipality. “I am trying hard, but it is not easy, Chair—people in this municipality are related,” he admitted.
These sentiments were echoed by the Director of Cooperative Governance Sam Makhubu, who alluded to the irregular appointment of some officials.
“Officials here are parachuted into positions,” he stated. Makhubu further unsettled the meeting by revealing that the municipality had initially opted not to be audited. “I put on record that when I took over as acting municipal manager, the municipality had chosen not to be audited. I initiated the audit—it is reflected in our minutes from the meetings we held twice a week with senior managers,” he explained.
He went on to add that, given the current state of affairs, he struggled to call Maluti-a-Phofung a properly functioning municipality.
Contradicting Makhubu, CFO Jemina Mazingo maintained that the municipality never opted out of the audit.
“We never chose to skip auditing; however, we had a backlog of financial statements dating back to 2017, which prevented us from keeping up with our submissions. Now that we have cleared that backlog, we are submitting our statements on time,” she explained.
COGTA Portfolio Committee Chair Dr. Zweli Mkhize was not pleased with the conflicting accounts. He instructed Executive Mayor Malekula Melato to investigate the matter and determine who was misleading the committee.
“Someone is misleading the parliament here. The contradictory statements between the CFO and the director must be investigated to find out who is responsible,” he said.
Dr. Mkhize also called for accountability beyond the junior officials. “Those responsible for the municipality’s five consecutive disclaimer audit opinions must be held to account—not just the easy targets but also the managers who oversaw the process,” he declared.
Chairperson of parliament portfolio committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Zweli Mkhize.
Committee member Hlengwiwe Octavia Mkhaliphi of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) further questioned what was being done to recover funds from the CFO, who had been ordered to repay the salary increases she received. Mazingo responded that the municipality had resolved that she must return the money.
In an exclusive interview with this publication, Dr Mkhize expressed deep concern over the rampant corruption and the lack of consequences.
“We have seen significant weaknesses and irregularities in the municipality’s finances and management of cooperative affairs, particularly in the hiring of unqualified personnel for positions that do not even exist. Five consecutive disclaimer audit opinions highlight a huge challenge. Furthermore, the instability—evidenced by three mayoral changes between 2023 and 2024—shows that the municipality is in disarray.
“This instability inevitably disrupts both governance and service delivery. Additionally, issues with electricity supply are linked to illegal connections, poor revenue collection, inadequate service payments, and outstanding Eskom debts,” he warned.
