The Executive Mayor of the Matjhabeng Local Municipality in the Free State, Thanduxolo Khalipha, recently, announced advocate Lonwabo Ronald Ngoqo as the new Municipal Manager. 

ActionSA provincial chairperson, Patricia Kopane, says they are completely against the appointment of Ngoqo. This after stating that Ngoqo was dismissed as Bitou Municipal Manager over serious allegations of financial misconduct, where he paid R23 million for land valued at R2.4 million. Kopane further states that Ngoqo also misrepresented himself when he applied for the position of City Manager in Nelson Mandela Bay. She says Matjhabeng urgently needs ethical leadership to help save it from the increasing threat of collapse, not recycled managers that failed in other municipalities.

“We oppose the appointment of the controversial Advocate Lonwabo Ngoqo as the municipal manager of Matjhabeng, which is on the brink of collapse. To this end, ActionSA will lodge a formal complaint with the Free State MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Mr Mxolisi Dukwana, and request that he withdraw his concurrence in the light of this information,” says Kopane.

She further adds that Ngoqo failed to disclose that he had previously been dismissed on the basis of serious financial misconduct in terms of Regulation 17(c) of the Municipal Systems Act, which provides that when the Council takes a resolution, that it should satisfy itself that the candidate do not appear on the record of staff that was dismissed for financial misconduct.

“Financial misconduct is a serious offence. Matjhabeng deserves an accounting officer who is beyond reproach and not one who will likely exacerbate the town’s existing financial woes,” concludes Kopane.

OFM News has since sent questions to the Matjhabeng Municipality, which is yet to respond.

OFM News