Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Fraud case opened against senior Bitou council official
A FRAUD case has been opened against the acting municipal manager of the DA-run Bitou Municipality.
On Monday, the municipality’s expenditure senior manager, Ntho Maredi, was appointed in the position of acting municipal manager following the resignation of former acting municipal manager, Richard Bosman. He held the position for a mere 55 days.
Ikhwezi Political Movement (IPM) president Nokuzola Kolwapi said they found damning evidence that Maredi didn’t have the qualifications he claimed to possess.
“After the vetting process, it was clear that the claim for this diploma was fraudulent.”
Weekend Argus has a 2019 letter from the municipality’s human resources division asking Maredi to provide proof of his cost and management qualification.
“The human resources management division has perused your employee file and note that there is no copy of your qualification in respect of a national diploma: cost and management accounting, obtained from the former Technikon RSA, on your employee file as mentioned in your curriculum vitae.
“You are therefore required to provide the division with proof of this qualification by 30 September 2019,” reads the letter.
Another document from the vetting process showed that Maredi didn’t have the qualification.
“Cost and management accounting is a highly important qualification for senior managers within the finance department,” said Kolwapi.
“We have seen how detrimental it is when you do not have qualified people in the right jobs. Corruption and maladministration grow. This is becoming a cancer in our country where people steal jobs from people who are fully qualified.”
Mayor Dave Swarts said. “I have satisfied myself that the CV presented by Mr Maredi prior to his appointment as acting municipal manager of Bitou Municipality does not contain any reference to the qualification in question.
“This is the same CV that was considered by Bitou Municipality when he was appointed to his current senior manager position. All the competencies required for the position of a municipal manager have been completed by Mr Maredi.”