The DA in Fetakgomo Tubatse Municipality has written to the Municipal Manager, Joel Makgata , regarding the prolonged suspension of Infrastructure Development and Technical services Director Surprise Masondo and the municipality’s failure to conclude disciplinary action.
The municipal council took a resolution to suspend Masondo on the allegation of Financial Misconduct in October 2024. The municipal council appointed an investigator to investigate the allegations of misconduct and the investigation report which was submitted to council confirmed that there is an element of financial misconduct and the council referred the report to the Financial Misconduct Board for further investigation.
The Financial Misconduct Board investigation report was tabled by the Mayor in council on 2 January 2025 and resolved to institute disciplinary proceedings against Masondo and Council authorized the acting Municipal Manager to appoint an independent and external evidence leader. It should be noted that the acting municipal manager was also mandated by the municipal council to immediately commence with the Disciplinary procedure.
The DA is deeply concerned about how this matter is being handled. It has been over a year since the council resolved that disciplinary proceedings against Masondo commence and there has been no report on the progress of the process or if the disciplinary hearing has even been held.
Masondo has been on suspension receiving a full salary for a period of 1 year and 3 months, while the Infrastructure Development and Technical Services department is manned on an acting basis. Masondo is earning in excess of R1.1 million per annum of taxpayers money for doing nothing, while the municipality is paying another official as acting director in the department. These funds are supposed to be used for service delivery issues.
Service delivery in Fetakgomo Tubatse has stalled and projects are yet to be finished while the expenditure is at 100% because there is no one to hold officials accountable. The department has only achieved 3 out of 14 targets (21%) for the first quarter and projects in the municipality continue to struggle, such as:
1. Dresden Access Road at a cost of R34 million – The project expenditure is 100% and the project is only at 72% physical progress.
2. Praktiseer Library at a cost of R16 million – The project expenditure is 100% and the estimated completion was July 2023 however the project is not yet finished and has seemingly been abandoned.
The Infrastructure Development and Technical services department is a cornerstone of service delivery in local government, and the community of Fetakgomo Tubatse will continue to suffer in the absence of a director in the department. The DA will continue to monitor the situation and ensure that Masondo’s disciplinary procedure is resolved.