A source in the upper echelons at the cash-strapped municipality has shed more light on Mayor Dimakatso Modise's alleged political interference with matters of administration related to the council.

ALSO READ: Mayor of troubled municipality accused of interference

A document shown to OFM News, including two letters sent to the suspended manager at the legal service department of the Municipality, Itumeleng Mogaecho, shows that the mayor might have been aware of a certain transgression involving a former municipal official but nothing was done.

The suspended legal manager was mandated to draft a report which dealt with allegations of misconduct against the acting Municipal Manager (MM), Michelle Sello, who is accused of failing to pay third-party contributions for the months of January, March and May 2021. Sello was also accused of allowing an unauthorised payment to a bogus service provider, who was paid close to R900 000 by the municipality.  

As a result of this unauthorised payment, the supposed or alleged actual company that was supposed to have been paid for services – which included the jet blasting that mainly deals with the unblocking of sewage drains in 2022 – dragged the cash-strapped municipality to the Free State High Court for close to R900 000. The municipality was forced to pay the actual service provider through a court order, meaning the municipality had now made two payments of R900 000 to service companies.

“So, in essence, the mayor should have allowed the council to deliberate on all the allegations contained in the report (legal advice) drafted by the manager at legal services – Itumeleng Mogaecho. But instead, she wrote two attacking emails to the manager at legal services. She refused to report to the council, contravening specific regulations. In terms of these regulations, which binds a political head of the municipality, she is forced to table the reports to the council within 7 days after receiving the reports,” the source added.

The municipal spokesperson, Zongezile Ntjwabule, has previously replied to the allegations and told OFM News that “after careful consideration with the questions that you have posed, the municipality elects not to comment at this present moment, understanding that these matters [are] sub judice and are yet to be ventilated on the correct platforms”.  

Soon after drafting and sending the reports to the speaker of the council and mayor, Mogaecho received a serious backlash from mayor Modise on his apparent bias.

In this letter addressed to Mogaecho, the mayor – in her exact words – said: "I've also observed how inconsistent you are with providing legal advice, depending on who you are dealing with. The point of reference is a payment made by the former acting municipal manager Mr Sipho Thomas to Camelsa Consulting Group (CCG) for R700 000 despite the fact that their contract had run its course. I've been reliably informed that you were knowledgeable about this payment despite its bona fide intention.

"I've been made aware that you drafted and tabled a report on the validity of their contract at a meeting where both Cooperative Governance (Cogta's) Intervention Team and the provincial were present.

"It is also been brought to my attention that these allegations were concocted after the Acting Municipal Manager (ACM) was holding you accountable for being derelict on the matter of the suspended Expenditure Manager, Mr Diseko Ntsepe. If so proven, it will be deeply worrisome and borders on the pure fabrication of allegations to preserve oneself from accountability or consequence management".

The source has made more damning allegations, including how unskilled individuals have been kept to occupy serious positions without necessary skills, which has since brought attention to the municipality's audit skills. It also alleged that the municipality is losing thousands, if not millions, from a botched deal with a particular service provider. It's alleged that a service provider was hired by the municipality but the municipality is not benefiting anything from the deal. The source also said the Hawks is currently investigating the matter.

OFM News has since contacted Mogaecho but he refused to comment, citing the aforementioned reasons by the municipality.

The municipality has previously been struggling to pay its workers and also service providers due to cash flow issues.

In June 2022, the Auditor-General (AG), Tsakani Maluleke, reported that Masilonyana was among three Free State municipalities which failed to account for money spent.

OFM News