Note to Broadcasters: Please find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Gerhard Strydom and in Setswana by Orapoleng Moremedi
The DA has demanded, without reservation, that the Matlosana Council must reconvene this week for a Special Council Meeting at which the full report into misconduct by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) must be tabled and considered by Council.
At a Council Meeting on Friday, 06 December 2024, the Acting Municipal Manager, under the instruction of the Executive Mayor, withheld the original misconduct report from Council which should have disclosed the full details of the misconduct of the CFO.
Since her suspension, and CCMA pushback, Matolosana CFO Mercy Phetla is back at work, but to this day the Council has not been informed of the full details of her misconduct.
These charges include her arrest in January 2024 by the Hawks for corruption, which were not mentioned in the discussions on Friday, despite being a key issue in her ongoing case.
The meeting last Friday also exposed divisions within the ANC majority. The Speaker, seemingly aligned with the CFO, blocked the Provincial Executive’s representative in the meeting from their advice on the matter being taken.
The handling of Friday’s Council meeting was a shambles, and without the full report on the misconduct of the CFO, Council is in the dark. This is a political cover-up.
Behind the scenes it is alleged that ANC factions reached a secret agreement to reinstate the CFO and the suspended Municipal Manager, which played out on Friday.
The Democratic Alliance will leave no stone unturned to expose and fix the rot in Matlosana.