This after former acting municipal manager (MM) and now director of sports, Cyril Henry; caretaker of the department, Mohau Shuping; and the municipality’s Mayor, Kgotso Khumalo, were recently nabbed by the Hawks. The municipal spokesperson, Willie Maphosa, confirms to OFM News that the MM and the administrator are handling the matter in accordance with the labour law.

He adds that Mayor Khumalo is still on leave and by the time of his arrest there was already an acting mayor Kevin Johnson who is the Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC).

"You must understand that the municipality can’t just act outside of the law, so this issue is being handled within the context of the prevailing laws. The municipality is an institution and the municipality has individuals in it - some individuals may be corrupt, but that is the issue of the court to decide and to handle. But as of now these matters have been exposed and the law is handling them."  

The trio is linked to a R5 million fraud case where they have been allegedly accepting money which was intended for the municipality - in their own accounts. It's alleged that the North-West University and the Programme for Community Development paid about R5 million into a trust account of an attorney for the use of specific projects by the municipality - but the three allegedly stole the money.
 
The National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) regional spokesperson, Henry Mamothame, previously said: "The attorney was then given instructions to effect various payments, which include a R208 000 mayoral committee contribution towards the funeral of the late MEC for Agriculture, Duma Ndleleni, who passed away on 23 November 2018.
 
"It was, however, discovered that R200 000 was paid directly into the account of one of the accused. From this amount, R64 218 was paid to an institution where Khumalo’s relative was a student."
 
The trio was ordered by the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court to not set foot at the municipal offices following their arrest by the Hawks last Friday.
 
Khumalo, Henry and Shuping will appear at the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court on 1 December 2020.

OFM News