The decision followed a special council meeting on Tuesday (22/7), where councilors considered findings by the Auditor-General and allegations formally tabled by the DA.

The allegations relate to governance, financial management, legislative compliance, implementation of council resolutions, internal controls, revenue management, service delivery, and issues arising from the Auditor-General’s (AG) report dated 27 January.

More has also reportedly been issued with a certificate of debt, which enables the AG to hold an accounting officer personally liable for financial losses resulting from the mismanagement of public funds. Mangaung acting spokesperson Nicolette Maysiels stressed the appointment of an independent investigator did not mean the city manager had been found guilty of wrongdoing.

“The council’s decision should not be interpreted as a finding of guilt against the municipal manager. It is a procedural step prescribed by legislation whenever council is satisfied that allegations warrant an independent investigation,” she said.

The investigator will be required to conduct a thorough, fair, and impartial inquiry and submit a report containing findings and recommendations to council within the timeframes prescribed by regulations.

Once the investigation has been completed, the report will be considered by council before further action is taken. Disciplinary proceedings may follow if sufficient evidence of misconduct is found, while the matter will be closed if the allegations cannot be substantiated. 

The investigation comes as Mangaung’s financial misconduct disciplinary board continues probing 17 cases involving alleged unauthorized, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure amounting to billions of rand.

AG and National Treasury have repeatedly urged the board to finalise the outstanding investigations. However, the complexity of the cases and the volume of documentation have delayed the process. 

During the special council meeting, financial misconduct disciplinary board chairperson Mamiki Selesho revealed several cases had been consolidated to expedite the investigations. One matter alone involves alleged irregular expenditure of R5.4bn.

Mangaung is among 16 Free State municipalities and 69 nationally affected by National Treasury’s decision to withhold equitable share funding.

Deputy mayor and MMC for treasury Lulama Titi-Odili recently said the municipality expected R1.3bn in equitable share allocations, but R498m had already been withheld.

‘Communications manager Qondile Khedama remains on precautionary suspension 
after allegations of sexual harassment’

The latest investigation unfolds against the backdrop of another high-profile matter within the municipality. Communications manager Qondile Khedama remains on precautionary suspension and special leave after allegations of sexual harassment were lodged against him by a junior employee.

The allegations followed a formal grievance submitted by female subordinates to the municipality’s employee wellness division, alleging a pattern of workplace harassment.

Reports in May indicated Khedama, who also serves on the board of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, had been on paid suspension since November and had earned about R510,000 while away from work, based on his annual salary of R1.2m.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi sm

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