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The Madibeng local municipality has threatened legal action after a social media post claimed the mayor’s office spent R800,000 on 10 office chairs.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the municipality described the allegations as false, malicious and misleading. The municipality said mayor Douglas Maimane had continued to use the same office furniture inherited at the beginning of the current term.
“With only four months remaining before the end of the term, that same furniture remains in use,” the statement said.
It also rejected claims that Maimane had been interviewed about the alleged purchase or that an audit was under way into the matter.
“There has been no such interview, and there is no audit relating to the fictitious claims contained in the circulating social media post,” the municipality said.
According to the statement, the anonymous post was a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and damage the reputation of the mayor and the municipality.
Mayoral spokesperson Thabo Skhosana said Maimane had instructed his legal representatives to consider all available legal remedies.
Skhosana said legal action would be instituted against those responsible for creating, publishing and distributing what it described as defamatory allegations.
The municipality urged residents to verify information through official municipal and government communication platforms instead of relying on anonymous social media pages that publish sensational and misleading content.
TimesLIVE
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