Proclamation 329 of 2026 authorises the SIU to investigate serious maladministration in the Free State metro. The investigation covers the establishment and operationalisation of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipal Police under Provincial Notice No. 124 of 2019, as well as alleged overpayments to suppliers, SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho said.

The unit will examine procurement and contracting processes for branding and marketing material, corporate gifts, catering and decorations. It will also investigate a structural assessment of the Civic Theatre, the Gabriel Dichabe building, and municipal housing offices in Thaba Nchu.

Other contracts include the upgrading, relocation, and configuration of office space in the Gabriel Dichabe building for the proposed metro police department. The investigation also covers the procurement of eight Toyota Corollas, a fire truck, and a panel of contractors for IPTN trunk routes.

The SIU will investigate possible unlawful conduct by municipal employees and officials, the misuse or unlawful expenditure of public money, and irregular or unapproved transactions involving state property. It will also examine possible intentional or negligent losses of public funds and damage to public property.

Possible offences under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act also form part of the investigation. The SIU will scrutinise overpayments recorded in the municipality’s annual financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2024 and its fruitless and wasteful expenditure registers for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

The investigation adds to pressure on the embattled metro. OFM News previously reported that Mangaung city manager Sello More had reportedly been issued with a certificate of debt, which allows the Auditor-General to hold accounting officers personally liable for losses caused by the mismanagement of public funds.

The municipality’s financial misconduct disciplinary board is investigating 17 cases of alleged unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure worth billions of rand. Board chairperson Mamiki Selesho recently told council that previously uninvestigated reports were being processed, with some matters consolidated to speed up investigations.

One of the cases involves alleged irregular expenditure of R5.4bn. Mangaung’s governance problems have also drawn criticism from opposition parties, with ActionSA calling in 2025 for a comprehensive and independent investigation into alleged abuse of overtime payments and systemic governance failures in the metro.

ActionSA Free State chairperson Patricia Kopane criticised the expenditure of R470m on overtime over two years. The payments allegedly included money paid to a sewer cleaner while he was in prison, which the party described as evidence of poor financial controls and a disregard for ethical governance.

The Auditor-General reported Mangaung was technically insolvent, with its liabilities exceeding its assets by R468m. The proposed metro police department has also faced years of controversy, including National Treasury’s rejection in 2021 of its financial viability in the cash-strapped municipality.

Protests by aspiring recruits and community unrest further disrupted the initiative. The SIU investigation also covers contracts linked to Mangaung’s multi-billion-rand IPTN and the Hauweng bus service, which has faced repeated delays, cost overruns, forensic investigations, and legal disputes involving municipal leaders.

Former transport minister Fikile Mbalula initiated a forensic investigation into the transport project in 2022. The IPTN has since remained one of Mangaung’s most contentious infrastructure programmes, with concerns continuing over spending, implementation delays, and the municipality’s management of the project.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi sm

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