Speaking to OFM News ahead of the reintroduction of the Mayoral Games, Lucky Phooko says the municipality has never had a problem with paying its employees. “This is a pure lie. In fact even our Eskom account, we’re dealing with it. We’ve never had a problem of paying our employees. Never!” remarks the Mayor angrily. 

He says he is allergic to misinformation being spread to the community of Moqhaka which includes the towns of Kroonstad, Viljoenskroon and Steynsrus.

Phooko was responding to a City Press article released this month, which said the municipality, along with over thirty other municipalities, including Mafube and Maluti-A-Phofung failed to pay June salaries on time. The latter two municipalities are currently under provincial care – Moqhaka isn’t. 

Spokesperson Dika Kheswa, quipped the naming of the municipality as a possible error. “They probably meant Masilonyana”, which has also been placed under administration.

The Mayor did not speak on allegations made in Netwerk24 alleging his municipal accounts are in arrears of about R 108 000 since 2015, with murmurs that the Moqhaka council is intent on writing off the debt.

Regarding the Free State Municipalities, Finance MEC, Gadija Brown, announced in a briefing last month that Provincial Treasury has established a task team to help curb irregular and fruitless expenditure across all the municipalities and departments in the province. She also warned that turning around financially burdened municipalities will not happen overnight.

All this while suspended Moqhaka Municipal Manager Mncedisi Simon Mqwathi, is being investigated by the Hawks for his alleged involvement in a shady tender deal. 

OFM News