The DA in Limpopo welcomes the announcement yesterday of the investigation by the Special Investigating Unit(SIU) into the longstanding corruption at Lepelle Nkumpi Local Municipality.
President Ramaphosa’s proclamation 243 of 2025 mandates the SIU to investigate serious maladministration into 6 contracts for goods, work or serviced entered into by the municipality between December 2013 and June 2016.
This includes the contract awarded in December 2013 for the refurbishment of the Lebowakgomo Civic Centre, rehabilitation of a dumping sights and and construction of various roads.
This investigation is long overdue; a forensic investigation at the time was conducted by Ernst and Young at a cost of R2 million to the tax payers.
The preliminary briefing by the Ernst and Young representatives confirmed irregular appointments of service providers and financial mismanagement, all of which was set out in fully in the final report. The DA was denied access to this report despite the submission of a PAIA application.
In an effort to keep their corruption and malfeasance hidden, the ANC municipality offered the then municipal manager, Freddy Ramaphakela, a R1.1 million golden handshake instead of laying criminal charges against him and implicated cadres.
Lepelle Nkumpi municipality is not new to scandal; during the VBS scandal, the then mayor Nakedi Sibanda Kekana, who served as an ANC councillor during period under investigation by the SIU, irregularly invested more than R150 million from the coffers of this rural municipality. This resulted in her removal as mayor.
Despite her involvement in illegal investments, Sibanda Kekana was upcycled to the legislature and currently serves on the Provincial Executive Committee.
The DA calls on the SIU to fully investigate these contracts without fear or favour and to obtain detailed affidavits from all councillors and officials who served in the municipality at the time.
We are confident that if the ANC will not get rid of corrupt cadres, the SIU will expose the rot and hold the corrupt accountable.