Emfuleni speaker taken to task

Emfuleni speaker Maipato Tsokolibane has allegedly suppressed council discussions for months over an irregular Opulentia insurance contract, now linked to a powerful man in the ANC, say councillors.

The contract is worth R3.6 million a month for 18 months, ending in August next year, the municipality has confirmed.

Tsokolibane – apparently an ally of former mayor and the ANC’s current Gauteng secretary Jacob Khawe – was alleged to be behind a plan to illegally suspend municipal manager Lucky Leseane in order to prevent the Opulentia and other anticorruption reports from being discussed in council, the Sedibeng Ster reported.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce has again demanded the removal of Tsokolibane as “the centre of ongoing efforts to frustrate anticorruption cleanups” at the municipality.

“Tsokolibane must go – the sooner the better along with her close friend [chief financial officer] Andile Dyakala – for directly conspiring and undermining the democratic accountability process in council on many issues, of which Opulentia is but the latest,” said chamber chief executive Klippies Kritzinger.

The Labour Court set aside Leseane’s suspension but Tsokolibane allegedly gained time to suppress the Opulentia report from being discussed by council, claiming she wanted to see the report fi rst.

However, this was refused by the municipality’s auditing committee as Tsokolibane and the ANC chief whip, Christina Sale, had allegedly already attempted to doctor the earlier Comperio forensic report into irregular contracts by removing the name of former acting municipal manager Oupa Nkoane from it.

Khawe is alleged to be linked through his girlfriend – a director of Opulentia – to the awarding of the contract.

He has denied influencing the awarding of the contract.

The Opulentia contract was originally formulated and facilitated by Nkoane.

The municipality confirmed the agreement with Fezi Auditors and Consultants, trading as Opulentia, and that the internal audit department has filed a report advising council on the matter”.

Tsokolibane must go for directly conspiring and undermining the democratic accountability process in council on many issues.

Klippies Kritzinger Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce CEO