By Emily Setona
BLOEMFONTEIN – Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality has a new acting Chief Financial Officer, appointed just as parliamentary oversight committees tighten the screws on its battered finances.
The Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) confirmed that MEC Saki Mokoena seconded Thuso Ronald Marumo, a seasoned finance executive and former CFO of Moqhaka Local Municipality. He fills the gap left after Matholase Jeminah Mazinyo’s contract lapsed on 31 March.
Marumo’s arrival came a day before the municipality was grilled in Bloemfontein by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Cogta and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) over persistent audit disclaimers and instability in senior management.
Executive Mayor Malekula Melato welcomed the move, saying Marumo’s deployment aimed to stabilise financial leadership. “Maluti-a-Phofung is a coalition-led municipality. Despite being politically hung, the coalition has remained stable and progressive,” Melato told MPs, adding that council leaders were also pursuing investment opportunities abroad.
But the CFO issue dominated proceedings, with MPs questioning municipal manager Motsoahae Mofokeng over contradictory statements about Mazinyo’s exit. Mofokeng had earlier told Parliament her contract would not be renewed because the Auditor-General had issued five consecutive audit disclaimers during her tenure. Yet records showed he later recommended her reappointment.
Pressed by committee chair Dr Zweli Mkhize to explain, Mofokeng insisted he had not intended to mislead Parliament. He claimed he only learned of Marumo’s secondment the day before the hearing. “At the time of my recommendation, the position had already been advertised. We only got to have a CFO as of yesterday,” he said.Mkhize was not persuaded. “You told us the CFO would not return, now you justify otherwise. That’s misleading,” he retorted.
He also challenged Mofokeng’s claim that he was unaware Mazinyo had been suspended for up to three of her five years in office, noting the suspension had been disclosed during an earlier oversight visit.
The heated exchange underscored deep-seated governance problems at Maluti-a-Phofung, long a symbol of municipal dysfunction in the Free State. Parliament has repeatedly flagged the council for chronic mismanagement, leadership churn and poor audit outcomes.
Mofokeng apologised to the committee, saying confusion around the CFO post had created “mixed signals.” MPs, however, warned that consequence management remained weak and pledged to keep a close watch on developments.
For Marumo, the immediate task will be restoring financial discipline and improving audit performance in a municipality under intense scrutiny.
Oversight committees have signalled they expect tangible progress in the months ahead.
