Official gets more flak
COUNCIL OBJECTION: ‘WE CANNOT HAVE A TAINTED ACCOUNTING OFFICER’
Tempers run high after opposition parties denounce appointment.
Pandemonium broke out this week at the Greater Letaba local municipality in Limpopo after a special council virtual sitting appointed an acting municipal manager accused of having a tainted reputation in the affairs of municipal finances.
The appointment comes after last month’s resignation of municipal manager Innocent Sirovha.
According to information, tempers ran high on Wednesday after the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) denounced the appointment of corporate services director Bertha Letsoalo.
Letsoalo is accused of having had a hand in the recent disappearance of R1 million from municipal accounts.
The objection was also apparently supported by some ANC councillors, who claimed that Letsoalo’s appointment did not follow some sections of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
“We cannot afford to have an accounting officer whose hands are allegedly not clean,” said Zondi Maluleke, DA councillor in the municipality, yesterday.
The Citizen reported recently that the missing funds were supposed to have been deposited into a company belonging to a former ANC Youth League Mopani regional leader for rendering training services for 25 municipal councillors.
It was later discovered that the money was deposited into a wrong bank account. Former municipal manager Glory Mashaba was ordered to pay back the money, which she did.
Letsoalo and the chief legal officer Kgomotjo Chuene were given warning letters after they were implicated in the disappearance of the money by the Municipal Public Accounts Committee investigations.
The EFF was equally perturbed by the appointment.
EFF caucus leader in the municipality, Betty Maenetja, said Letsoalo’s appointment was nothing but a “frivolous attempt by the ANC to continue looting municipal funds”.
“We no longer want a virtual meeting, but a sitting council meeting where we would be able to look into the mayor’s eyes and ask him why he is ostensibly flouting the law,” said Maenetja.
An ANC councillor, who was the first to second the objection, said: “Some of our councillors cannot speak openly because they don’t want to be victimised. But we also agree with the DA and EFF that Letsoalo’s appointment is flawed.”
Letsoalo reserved her comment on the matter, saying: “I am not sure if I should comment now on the matter because I am yet to speak to the municipal mayor about the appointment.”
Municipal spokeswoman Lovers Maenetja said she does not see anything wrong with Letsoalo’s appointment.
“People must be giving her credit for the sterling work she has done all these years for the municipality,” she said.
“Dr Bertha Letsoalo is a seasoned government employee. She has extensive experience in the local government sector. She is highly qualified and the municipality has faith in her capabilities to lead the institution.”
The amount which disappeared from the municipal account.