Note to Broadcasters: Find attached the soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Jóhni Steenkamp, MPL
The Democratic Alliance (DA) notes that Morufa Moloto, whose controversial appointment as CFO at the North West Development Corporation (NWDC) sparked outrage last year, has now been found guilty after previously being out on bail on charges relating to fraud and corruption.
This shocking development completely vindicates the DA’s warnings when we exposed the reckless decision by the ANC-led North West government to place a politically connected individual facing serious criminal charges into one of the most sensitive financial positions in the province.
At the time, the MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism, Bitsa Lenkopane, arrogantly denied any wrongdoing and attempted to downplay the seriousness of the appointment.
Even more concerning, Premier Lazarus Mokgosi refused to properly answer the DA’s written questions regarding the vetting processes followed before the appointment was approved.
Today, the ANC government stands exposed.
The DA warned that this appointment represented a catastrophic failure of governance, due diligence, and ethical leadership. Instead of taking accountability, the ANC closed ranks, protected its own, and hoped the public would simply forget.
Now the truth has caught up with them. The people of North West deserve answers.
This matter is bigger than one individual. It exposes the dangerous and reckless culture of cadre deployment and political protection that has hollowed out governance across the province.
The ANC has normalised the scandal to such an extent that individuals facing serious allegations can be entrusted with public finances while residents sit without water, roads collapse, municipalities fail, and unemployment continues to rise.
As an immediate action, I will urgently write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism to summon MEC Bitsa Lenkopane to appear before the committee to answer critical questions regarding the following:
- The vetting process followed prior to the appointment;
- Whether the department and executive were aware of the criminal charges at the time;
- Why the appointment proceeded despite the serious allegations;
- What due diligence measures were undertaken; and
- Whether other similarly compromised appointments exist within the department and its entities, and if so, what actions are being taken to address these issues and ensure accountability moving forward.
The ANC government owes the people of North West an apology.
This province cannot continue to be governed like a political deployment project where accountability only matters after convictions are secured.
The DA will continue exposing corruption, dishonesty, and governance failures wherever they occur.