A Free State municipality says it is seeking legal advice and “weighing its options” after remarks made by one of its senior managers.
Disebo Motaung, the director of co-operative services in Nketoana local municipality, Reitz, has come under fire after a comment she made in a WhatsApp group for senior managers in reaction to an article shared.
Municipal manager Mokete Nhlapo shared an article published in a daily newspaper earlier this week on what to do should kidnappers demand your banking details.
Just beneath this post, Motaung said: “Joo MM, we are still exposed to danger, and we need to have guns; that's all. We are not protected by the or the banks. The best is to kill the Boer [sic].”
It remains unclear whether Motaung was referring to the article or making a separate comment.
TimesLIVE Premium reached out to Motaung and the municipal manager for comment. Motaung declined to comment, while Nhlapo confirmed the incident and provided context on how the interaction occurred.
“Two weeks back on Women's Day, one of our directors was kidnapped as he was knocking off and was only found the after Monday evening. That caused us a lot of anxiety so when I saw this article, I posted it for the benefit of the group.
“It was meant for my senior managers, but this thing has overtaken us,” he said.
While Nhlapo directed queries on Motaung's decision to pose such a question to her, he did confirm that it has brought the municipality into a “lot of disrepute”.
He also confirmed that an internal investigation had been launched to determine the way forward.
“We're weighing our options.Whether in terms of the code of conduct and her contractual obligations, she may have overstepped her obligations. We're looking at that. I was speaking to our legal representative this morning but we need further engagement.
“It has put us into a lot of disrepute so we're certainly weighing our options on how best to deal with this. Beyond that, I think she can [clarify] why she posted what she did,” he said.
The DA in the Free State condemned Motaung's “deeply concerning” comments, especially given her position.
“We find such a statement, particularly from a senior official entrusted with serving the broader community, to be entirely unacceptable and highly irresponsible. We condemn any form of speech that promotes violence or discrimination.
“As a director within the municipality, Motaung holds a position of significant influence and responsibility. Her words carry weight, and the expression of such violent sentiments poses a serious threat to social cohesion.
“Public officials are expected to act as custodians of peace and unity, promoting values that foster harmony within the community,” said the party's councillors in the municipality, Diphapang Mofokeng, Anelia Smit and Thinus Blignaut.
The trio said they would report the matter to the police and human rights commission to “ensure that public officials are held accountable for their words and actions, particularly when they violate the principles of non-violence, respect and inclusivity that our society is built upon”.
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