The DA moves to prevent the multi-million Rand looting of Metsimaholo Municipality
30 July 2023
Following the DA’s successful interdict to prevent the Metsimaholo municipality making further payments in a multi-million Rand looting scheme supported by the ANC/EFF, the DA is now standing firm to prevent the ANC/EFF removing the municipality’s DA Mayor, Jeff Zwane, from office.
The DA has also exposed the unlawful and unethical process by which the ANC/EFF removed an honest official, the Municipal Manager, after he sought to prevent this looting scheme.
The ANC/EFF suspended Mr Leaoa Mofokeng, when he refused to authorise payments after the ANC/EFF started pushing through initial payments, towards an amount of R35 million, to a Trust to which the Municipality does not owe the money.
When Mr Mofokeng took a firm stand against this corruption, he was targeted by the ANC/EFF, who made unsubstantiated allegations against him without following any proper process. They used these allegations to summarily suspend Mr Mofokeng without any regard for the law.
The ANC/EFF then immediately and unlawfully elevated a Mr Fusi Motlaung to act as Municipal Manager, following his unlawful initial appointment to the municipality by the ANC in 2019.
Within two days of being unlawfully elevated to the position of Acting Municipal Manager, Mr Motlaung began authorising unlawful payments to the Trust. This was only disclosed after the Court had to demand that he disclose what payments were made.
The DA successfully applied for an urgent interdict to the Free State High Court to stop all further payments. The interdict was granted on Friday 28 July.
Following receipt of the DA’s Application, the ANC/EFF moved immediately to submit a Motion of No Confidence (MONC) in the DA Mayor, Mr Jeff Zwane, to bring down the DA minority government in Metsimaholo, so that they can continue with their looting schemes in the run-up to the 2024 election.
Under the DA government, Metsimaholo is the only local municipality in Free State whose finances are recovering. This episode has clearly demonstrated the extent of the abuse of ANC/EFF councillors to deploy cadres into key positions to help them loot public funds.
The DA will not sit back and enable the ANC/EFF to continue to run municipalities into the ground.
We have therefore issued a lawyer’s letter demanding the ANC Speaker to revoke his notice of the meeting for 1 August by 17:00 on 30 July, when the MONC has been scheduled. The entire process embarked upon by the Speaker and unlawful Acting Municipal manager is fatally flawed.
Any decisions taken under the authority of an unlawfully appointed Municipal Manager will be illegal. This entire process has revealed the lengths the ANC/EFF will go to loot, and the torment they create for honest officials trying to prevent it.
It is essential, for the survival of South Africa, that we all stand together to support honest officials and prevent the ANC/EFF from destroying municipalities entirely, through their looting schemes.
To drive this point home, the DA will be leading a picket at the Multipurpose Sports Hall in Zamdela, Sasolburg at 12:00 on Tuesday 1 August, where the Council meeting is scheduled to convene to remove the DA’s Mayor. The public are invited to join in order to prevent the complete collapse of Metsimaholo.
Issued by Helen Zille, Chairperson of the DA Federal Council, 30 July 2023
