The MK Party (MKP) in the North West has accused the Madibeng council of shielding “corrupt officials and councillors” after an internal audit report found that processes were not followed in the appointment of the municipal manager.
Last month, co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) minister Velenkosini Hlabisa ordered an investigation into allegations that included the flouting of due process in the appointment of employees at Madibeng.
Alfred Motsi, MK Party provincial convener, said the party noted with shock and disgust the internal audit report on the irregular appointment of the municipal manager, Quiet Kgatla.
The report, which TimesLIVE Premium has seen, found that due processes were not followed when Kgatla was appointed last year. The report, which was already before North West Cogta MEC Oageng Molapisi, was yet to be put before the Madibeng council.
Motsi said the ANC used its majority in the municipal council “to shield corrupt officials and councillors from accountability”.
“Investigative reports, internal audit reports and auditor-general reports are consistently left unimplemented because they expose deep-rooted corruption and incompetence among both senior officials and ANC councillors,” Motsi said.
North West cooperative governance MEC Oageng Molapisi's spokesperson Lerato Gambu said the MEC was still studying the report.
The report was handed over to Molapisi last month.
Hlabisa's probe instituted by Molapisi last month was also investigating allegations of procurement fraud involving the appointment of service providers, employees and duplicate payments made to service providers.
The internal report, a risk-based review from July 2024 to March 2025, looked into Kgatla’s appointment and found that four other qualifying candidates were not shortlisted.
“The recruitment and appointment of the municipal manager was done outside the corporate support services/human resources management ... the entire recruitment process was handled by the office of the executive mayor,” the report stated.
It also found there was no evidence candidates were subjected to security checks and vetting before interviews. This could mean “possible favouritism and nepotism, leading to questions about fairness”.
The report further stated that though council had resolved to have five members on the interviewing panel, scoring was done by only two members, which could lead to a legal challenge owing to a failure to follow due process.
It also found that Kgatla, a qualified chartered accountant, did not have the prescribed qualifications, as he did not have a bachelor’s degree in public administration or the equivalent.
Equivalent degrees were listed as a BA in public administration, public management and international relations; government, development and administration; or public governance.
Kgatla, who joined the municipality in December, said he was not aware of the report and the Madibeng council did not have it. He declined to comment on its findings.
Another report into three cases of alleged unlawful deviations involving former CFO Morufa Moloto, infrastructure and technical services director Ofentse Masilo and human settlements and planning director Walter Phala found they needed to face disciplinary proceedings.
Motsi said the MK Party had earlier raised the matter of a reported incident about mayor Douglas Maimane's employee, who overturned a municipal vehicle while allegedly conducting work at the mayor's farm.
“And such a report was allegedly never tabled in a council meeting for processing. Furthermore, MK Party raised the alleged irregular appointment of Daniel Masemola as acting municipal manager,” Motsi said.
He claimed Masemola's appointment “was fast-tracked by ANC leadership through a questionable council sitting, shortly after the suspension of Quiet Kgatla for serious financial misconduct”.
Motsi said they intend to approach law enforcement agencies should Molapisi and the Madibeng council not attend to the issues at Madibeng.
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