GOVERNMENT TO TAKE DECISIVE ACTION AGAINST ROGUE OFFICIALS

Free State Province Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae

By: Staff Reporter

The Free State Province Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, informed the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs that, in line with government’s commitment to stop malfeasance in local government and ensure there is proper consequence management, government has taken decisive action against individuals whose conduct has plunged the institutions into disrepute.

The first of the two-day oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs commenced at the Windmill Casino, Bloemfontein on Thursday, 24 and concluded on Friday 25 (yesterday).

The committee has descended on Mangaung for two days to seek answers on the state of municipalities across the province.

To demonstrate government’s commitment to put an end to the rot in municipalities, Premier Letsoha-Mathae revealed that criminal charges have been laid against implicated individuals and that changes have been made to the leadership of certain municipalities.

“We have laid criminal charges against officials who are suspected of having committed criminality. There are officials in Dihlabeng and Nala local municipalities who are being investigated.

We are committed to getting our municipalities working and that is why we are taking these measures.

In Nala and Mohokare local municipalities respectively, there has been a change in the leadership of the institutions,” Premier Letsoha-Mathae said.

MEC for COGTA and Human Settlements, Saki Mokoena said efforts are being made to ensure that municipalities employ “quality” officials.

He further said to improve the financial standing of municipalities, officials from the provincial treasury were deployed to different municipalities.

“We are dealing with a historical problem, but we are dealing with it head on. That is why we have deployed officials with capacity from Treasury to assist our municipalities,” said MEC Mokoena.

Provincial Treasury will assist struggling municipalities with skilled experts to improve their audit outcomes.

This was revealed by MEC for Finance Ketso Makume on the first day of the oversight visit by the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in Bloemfontein on Thursday, 24.

Municipalities came under scrutiny from the committee following the outcomes of the Auditor-General’s report which painted a dire situation around municipalities in the Free State.

On the second and last day of their oversight visit to the province the Premier said she was particularly disturbed by the glaring differences between Mayor Dimakatso Modise and Municipal Manager Mojalefa Matlole which played out in front of the committee members with accusations and counter accusations between the duo.

Premier Letsoha-Mathae has promised to decisively address the matter as it derails and delays service delivery within the municipality.

“I am worried about the defiance that we see from Masilonyana. I have always told municipalities to make use of our yellow fleet to avoid unnecessary spend of resources, and Masilonyana is one of those municipalities, but there is resistance.