Former Letaba MM pays R1 million due to DA pressure

24 Feb 2020 in Press Statements

by Cllr Timothy Maluleke – DA Councillor – Greater Letaba Municipality

Date: 21 February 2020
Release: Immediate
 
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes that the Greater Letaba Municipality has been able to recoup over R1 million from the former Municipal Manager, Glory Mashaba, who fraudulently deposited money into service providers’ accounts in 2017.

The DA can confirm that after pressurising the municipality to implement the recommendations made by Municipal Public Account Committee (MPAC) to recoup the money, the former MM has finally paid the money back into the municipal account.

During her tenure as the MM, Mashaba paid an estimated R1 086 000 to a contractor to provide financial training to 25 municipal employees and Councillors as part of their “data texture programme” but the training never took place.

The DA then requested the MPAC to probe this fruitless and wasteful expenditure which recommended that the money should be recouped from Mashaba with immediate effect.

According to the Municipal Manager’s report, Mashaba has paid the money in trenches between December 2018 to January 2020 as follows

 :R50 000 – 12 December 2018

R110 000 – 20 November 2019

R100 000 – 10 December 2019

R300 000- 23 December 2019

R190 000 – 10 January 2020

R336 000 – 27 January 2020

Mashaba’s debacle is an example of how deep corruption is in this municipality and if the DA did not continue to pursue the matter, she could have enriched herself with taxpayers’ money whilst the residents continued to suffer.

We maintain that criminal charges should be laid in this matter and that she should face the full consequences of her actions.

The DA urges the municipality to utilise the money to complete abandoned projects within the municipality.We will continue to fight for justice and accountability in all municipalities.

 
Media Enquiries
 
  Cllr Timothy Maluleke

DA Councillor – Greater Letaba Municipality

063 785 5172 / 079 110 7422