By Teboho Moloi
QWAQWA – The South African Royal Kingdom Organization (SARKO) in the Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality is seeking clarity on the acting position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Tseko Moremi, alleging that Moremi is CFO only on municipal records, while Municipal Manager Advocate Motsoahae Mzwakhe Mofokeng continues to act as CFO in practice.
SARKO councillor Napo Letlala submitted a formal concern to the office of the Executive Mayor on Tuesday, 15 July, requesting an explanation as to why Mofokeng is still signing municipal documents as CFO, despite a council resolution passed on 4 April appointing Moremi as acting CFO.
According to Letlala, this ongoing situation undermines the authority of the council and violates proper governance processes. “We want answers, and we want this concern of ours to be tabled as an agenda item in the upcoming council sitting,” said Letlala.
“What we need is for the Municipal Manager to account and explain why he is signing documents as CFO instead of complying with the council resolution.”
The CFO position became vacant after the contract of the previous CFO, Matholase Jeminah Mazinyo, ended on 31 March. In response, the council appointed Moremi as acting CFO during its official sitting on 4 April. The council also resolved that all acting appointments would be for a period of three months and that all vacancies should be advertised.
During that meeting, Mofokeng had emphasized the urgent need to fill the CFO position to ensure the proper management of municipal finances. “Not having a CFO brings a lot of challenges, including the processing of employee third-party payments,” stated Mofokeng at the time.
However, the appointment of Moremi was met with skepticism by opposition parties. The Dikwankwetla Party of South Africa (DPSA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) did not fully support the decision.DPSA president Moeketsi Lebesa argued that the appointment did not follow proper procedures and that the council was not given the opportunity to verify Moremi’s qualifications. He also threatened to escalate the matter to the provincial MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).
EFF councillor Chikota Mkhwanazi echoed concerns about Moremi’s experience, suggesting that it may have been wiser to extend the former CFO’s contract rather than appoint someone whose capabilities were still in question.Letlala further raised concerns about possible maladministration, pointing out that municipal records still list him as a Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), despite him being removed from that position months ago.“My salary was quickly adjusted from MMC to councillor level, but how come my role in official documents hasn’t been updated to reflect that I am no longer responsible for the IDP portfolio?” Letlala questioned.
