The council allegedly extended Michelle Sello's contract by a further three months during its meeting on Wednesday 15 March 2023, despite a variety of allegations of misconduct against her.

The manager of legal services within the municipality, Itumeleng Mogaecho, drafted reports that looked into a variety of allegations, including misconduct against Sello, and found that she had failed to pay third-party contributions for the months of January, March and May 2021. 

The report also indicated that Sello allowed an unauthorised payment of nearly R900 000 to a bogus service provider.

The alleged actual company then dragged the cash-strapped municipality to the Free State High Court for not being paid for its services, which included jet blasting to unblock sewerage drains in 2022. The municipality was ordered to pay the service provider, resulting in it paying two companies, one real and one bogus, an amount close to R900 000.

Mogaecho drafted two reports about the incident; however, after being suspended by Sello, these reports were never tabled in council.

A source in the upper echelons of the municipality previously told OFM News that the mayor, Dimakatso Modise, refused to take the two reports drafted by Mogaecho for council deliberations and, as a result, "failed to execute her duties as outlined in terms of regulations". 

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The source said mayor Modise then wrote two emails launching personal attacks on Mogaecho in response to the reports implicating Sello, accusing him of being biased: "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 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's (Cogta's) intervention team and the provincial were present.

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

ALSO READ: Light shed on Free State mayor's interference

Meanwhile, the municipal spokesperson, Zongezile Ntjwabule, previously replied to the allegations and told OFM News that "after careful consideration of 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".

When further asked for comment on the new developments about the report, Ntjwabule replied as follows: "Without sounding or appearing to be arrogant, don't you think that you and/or your source should be reporting these allegations to the relevant law enforcement authorities, rather than being sensational."

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

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

The municipality is among the few that met with Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana on Tuesday 14 March over water issues troubling these municipalities. 

ALSO READ: Free State municipalities fail to trace taxpayers' money

The meeting between Dukwana, mayors and accounting officers happened while residents from various municipalities – including the Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro, Welkom-based Matjhabeng, and the Masilonyana municipalities, continued to be at the receiving end of water issues. 

Some of these municipalities have been forced to implement planned water-shedding, while leaks and burst pipes have also played a major role. Some of these municipalities, including the Mangaung Metro, lose a high percentage of water due to leaks, the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, said earlier. Mchunu also cited these water leaks are often caused by a lack of maintenance.

Dukwana told these mayors and accounting officers that it won’t be business as usual for underperforming municipalities across the province where water shortages, among other service delivery issues, have left residents fuming.

ALSO READ: ‘It won’t be business as usual’ – Free State premier

"We will not have our communities marching on the streets just to have water. We will not be a government that subjects our people to inhumane living conditions," Dukwana said.

OFM News previously reported that Masilonyana could only restore water to Winnie Mandela, formerly known as Brandfort, after 10 days. 

OFM News