-The DA welcomes the precautionary suspension of the Limpopo Legislature Secretary, Dr. Timothy Maake
-The Speaker, Makoma Makhurupetje was compelled to suspend Dr. Maake following a sleuth of irregularities including vanity expenditure of R1.8 million for multiple rebooking of flight tickets because it did not reflect his academic title and an alleged procurement scandal of R12.5 million paid to a law firm with alleged family ties to Maake
-The DA again calls on the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to probe the allegations of irregularities which occurred during Dr. Maake’s tenure
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo welcomes the Speaker of the Limpopo Legislature, Makoma Makhurupetje’s, decision to place the Secretary, Dr Timothy Maake, on precautionary suspension until 31 July 2026.
The predictable suspension is long overdue, but we believe that it is only the starting point to expose the multitude of irregularities which occurred during Dr. Maake’s brief and contentious tenure as Secretary.
In November 2025, the DA caucus in the Legislature made our intentions clear to call for the establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate damning findings in the 2025/2026 Quarter 1 Report including:
- A finding by the Auditor General that the financial statements submitted for Auditing were not fully prepared in line with generally recognised accounting practices and were not supported by comprehensive and proper records.
- A finding by the Auditor General regarding the purchase of a vehicle for the Speaker, Makoma Makhurupetje, reportedly over R1 million, which contributed directly to the Legislature’s poor audit performance.
- Although the Speaker informed the Oversight Committee that she did not request the purchase of the vehicle, the Committee on 8 October 2025 resolved that the Speaker must provide clear timelines as to when the investigation report will be submitted.
- Out of 58 performance targets, the Legislature only achieved 39 of these targets, a mere 68 percent success rate.
Dr. Maake’s subsequent vanity expenditure of R1.8 million on cancelled flights to Gambia because his academic title did not reflect on his flight tickets, as well as the alleged procurement scandal of R12.5 million payment from the legislature’s legal budget to a law firm, Talane & Associates, with alleged direct family ties to his nephew, finally compelled the Speaker to enforce the precautionary suspension.
Considering the alleged involvement of both the Speaker and the Secretary, an in-house investigation would be wholly insufficient, and since the Speaker herself blocked our motion in the House and deferred the tabling of motions on multiple occasions, the DA calls on the Chair of Chairs, Thabo Mokone, and the Whippery for the urgent establishment of an Ad Hoc Committee to:
- Investigate the purchase and alleged subsequent sale of the Speaker’s vehicle.
- Probe all reported irregular and wasteful expenditures, including the R1.8 million spend on cancelled plane tickets and accommodation.
- Probe the R12.5 payment to Talane and Associates.
- Examine failures in internal controls, accountability and consequence management.
- Table findings and recommendations before the House with timelines.
The DA will not accept that a historically shifty official, who allegedly colluded with office bearers in the Legislature, dodge the bullet yet again; accountability must prevail.