North West government deploys officials to troubled Madibeng

A team of officials from the provincial government has been deployed to the troubled Madibeng local municipality in North West as part of a financial recovery plan.

Insiders at Madibeng believe the intervention is a desperate plan by the province to ensure that the expected equitable share, expected to be paid by the National Treasury this month, does not get wasted and abused by the municipality.

Madibeng, which includes the tourist destination of Hartbeespoort Dam, is often in the news for the wrong reasons. Its mayor Douglas Maimane is currently facing disciplinary action by the ANC after being involved in a plot against his own party with opposition councillors which was recorded in a leaked audio that the Sunday Times reported on.

Co-operative governance MEC Gaoage Molapisi’s spokesperson Lerato Gambu confirmed to the Sunday Times that the provincial departments of finance and Cogta have both sent officials to Madibeng.

Gambu, however, said the municipality was not under administration.

“The municipality is currently implementing mandatory financial recovery plans (FRPs) in terms of section 139(5)(c) of the constitution, read together with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA),” Gambu said.

Asked if the intervention might in any way affect the pace of service delivery due to additional scrutiny and approval mechanisms being introduced, Gambu said: “This [the intervention] is to ensure that municipalities restore financial discipline, legislative compliance and sound governance.”

Similar intervention is also being implemented at Matlosana and Kgetlengrivier local municipalities.

—  Lerato Gambu, provincial Cogta spokesperson

He said the equitable share payment by the National Treasury had nothing to do with the intervention or its timing.

“Not at all. Similar intervention is also being implemented at Matlosana and Kgetlengrivier local municipalities,” Gambu said.

Last year, a forensic report commissioned by Molapisi found that Maimane had sat on reports meant to be tabled in the council. The commissioned document revealed alleged rampant corruption and maladministration under Maimane.

Among the cases raised was that Madibeng had appointed multiple service providers for the same job, while millions meant to pay Eskom and water boards were stolen by payments being fraudulently diverted into private bank accounts. Officials suspected of wrongdoing were let off scot-free and allowed to return to work without any “proper investigation [having been] undertaken”.

In January, ANC councillors in the municipality wrote to the party’s leadership raising concerns over the decline in the municipality’s accountability, governance and service delivery. They highlighted poor leadership, weak oversight and a failure to act decisively on reported irregularities.

Last October, the National Treasury threatened to cut funding to Madibeng over R8.7bn in irregular expenditure.

Maimane also came under fire for hiring his daughter as an intern in the municipality’s treasury budget office. When he was quizzed by provincial ANC leaders about the issue, he denied he had any relationship with her.

He also made headlines last October after a municipal bakkie, allegedly being used for farm work on his plot, was involved in an accident while being driven by a man not in the municipality’s employ.

The ANC recalled Maimane after the leaked audio story broke, but the embattled mayor rushed to court and interdicted the ANC from recalling him as mayor. The speaker of council was also interdicted from holding a council sitting where a motion of no confidence against Maimane would be tabled.