The Free State government must release a report detailing alleged fraud and corruption in the Setsoto local municipality, based in Ficksburg, says the DA.
The Star newspaper reported on Wednesday that Ficksburg activist Andries Tatane died fighting a municipality that wasted money on calendars and overseas trips, while others got backhanders for looting its resources.
Democratic Alliance spokesman on local government Peter Frewen made a renewed call on local cooperative governance, traditional affairs and human settlements MEC Mamiki Qhabate to release the full report.
The Star reported that a commission found members of the Meqheleng Concerned Citizen's group, who led the march that ultimately led to Tatane's death, did so to secure jobs for their “comrades”.
A spokesman for the group, Sam Motseare, said this was "a blatant lie”.
Frewen said an executive summary of the Section 106 Commission report was tabled at a Setsoto council meeting.
“However, it was held in camera, hence the fact that this report remains unreleased.”
According to The Star, the Free State provincial government had, among other things, revealed rampant corruption, maladministration, fraud, looting, nepotism and wasteful expenditure at the Setsoto municipality.
On Wednesday, a Free State cooperative governance department spokesman said they did not know how the report was leaked to the media. They were compiling a response, which was awaiting approval of the department's senior officials. It would be released later in the week.
Frewen said residents of Setsoto, and especially Meqheleng, had for too long endured a lack of service delivery. Following the article, there was no reason the report should remain secret.
He said the MEC should release the document for the truth regarding the allegations to be revealed.
“Only then can reconciliation between the residents of Setsoto and the municipality occur… in order to close a chapter of a terrible history in the Free State.”
The Setsoto municipality covers the towns of Ficksburg, Senekal, Clocolan and Marquard.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.