Damning revelations in Mangaung's latest annual report have exposed shocking levels of financial mismanagement. ActionSA Free State chairperson Patricia Kopane strongly condemned what she described as a “culture of corruption” deeply embedded in the metro’s administration. 

“The reckless expenditure of R470 million on overtime payments over the past two years, including payments made to a sewer cleaner while he was incarcerated, is not only outrageous but also a glaring symbol of the ANC-led administration’s contempt for ethical governance and fiscal responsibility,” said Kopane.

“This scandal is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeply entrenched culture of fraud, abuse, and mismanagement that has brought Mangaung to its knees.”

The Auditor-General’s report revealed Mangaung is technically insolvent, with liabilities exceeding assets by R468 million. Kopane warned that this financial crisis is not limited to Mangaung but reflects a broader collapse of local governance throughout the Free State.

“Not a single municipality in the Free State managed to achieve a clean audit. This means every municipality in the province is failing its residents through unchecked corruption, poor financial management, and collapsing oversight.

“Where were the councillors entrusted to perform oversight? Where was MPAC in all of these municipalities? And most critically, where was the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) while municipalities in the Free State collapsed into financial ruin under their watch?”

Kopane called the situation not just a case of administrative incompetence, but a dereliction of duty, and demanded that senior officials, political leaders, and councillors who enabled the rot be investigated and held accountable.

The party also called for the prosecution of all offenders, from municipal officials to councillors, implementation of strict financial controls, and urgent reforms to prevent further abuse of public funds, and measures including strict verification of overtime claims, financial management training, and digital tracking systems for payroll and attendance.

Mangaung Mayor Gregory Nthatisi has acknowledged the misuse of overtime and the existence of “ghost workers”, but placed blame on previous political instability.

“We did serious investigations, we also discovered that there were officials who were sanctioning overtime even to people who were not working, others were not even in the province, others were in jail. They were earning a salary, they were getting overtime,” Nthatisi said.

He confirmed disciplinary action has been taken against those implicated, and the Metro has introduced a new shift system to curb further abuse. However, Nthatisi admitted the system has experienced implementation challenges due to its recent rollout.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh