The municipal manager of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in North West, Letlhogonolo Lucky Fourie, has been suspended.
Executive Mayor, Matlakala Nondzaba said Fourie was suspended following a council decision at a special council meeting on September 29.
“The council decision is in relation to payments made to companies implicated in the forensic report on R134 million that was erroneously transferred to the municipality in 2019,” she said in a statement.
“Council resolved to appoint an external investigator to investigate the allegations against the municipal manager in line with disciplinary procedures in the Local Government: Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers. The independent investigator is expected to submit a report within 30 days to the council.”
Nondzaba said the council also resolved to request the Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement, and Traditional Affairs MEC, Nono Maloyi, second the acting municipal manager.
"The Office of the Executive Mayor hereby urges all stakeholders to allow council processes to unfold," she said.
Acting municipal spokesperson Keabetswe Bogatsu told IOL on Thursday that Fourie reportedly paid two companies implicated in the forensic report in the R134m erroneously paid to Bojanala, against the council decision not to pay any company that has a case pending in court until such a case has been finalised.
"The two companies went to court, and there was an order for the municipality to pay them," he said.
Fourie reportedly paid the companies without council approval following the court order.
Bogatsu said the municipality was committed to fighting corruption at all costs.
In March 2019, the department of local government in North West erroneously deposited an amount of R134,146,685 into the account of the Bojanala municipality.
The R134 million was supposed to be deposited into the bank account of the Rustenburg local municipality to upgrade informal settlements.
The North West provincial Treasury Institute conducted a forensic investigation after the R134 million was erroneously deposited into the bank account of Bojanala Platinum District Municipality.
A forensic report, which is yet to be made public, reportedly implicated five companies that were paid R84 million from the R134 million.
IOL understood that one of the companies that Fourie paid following a court order is owned by Moses Malesa, who was arrested this week along with former Bojanala municipal manager Patrick Shikwane.
Shikwane, 51, was arrested at Hartebeespoort Dam near Brits, while Malesa, 51, director of Marole Nameng Trading, handed himself in to the police in Rustenburg. He is facing charges of fraud.
Shikwane was arrested in connection with R1 million in disaster relief material fraud.
He reportedly appointed Marole Nameng Trading to supply Bojanala District Municipality with disaster relief materials in December 2018.
"The accused allegedly authorised payment to the tune of over R1 million to Marole Trading without following proper supply chain processes," said Hawks spokesperson in the North West, Lieutenant Colonel Tinyiko Mathebula.
Marole Nameng Trading received payment but never delivered the procured materials.
Shikwane was granted R10,000 bail, while Malesa was released on R5,000. Their case was postponed to October 16 for further investigation.
Mayor Nondzaba said her office has noted with concern the media reports on the arrest of the former municipal manager.
"The municipality urges all to allow the law to take its course regarding the case," she said.
IOL