Tshwarelo eseng Mogakane
Nelspruit - Mpumalanga's second-largest municipality has gagged staff from speaking about a series of corruption investigations into its new glitzy R75m headquarters.
Ehlanzeni district council executive mayor Confidence Mkhonto warned staff last Friday that anyone caught publicly discussing the issue would be disciplined.
The warning follows the suspension of municipal manager advocate Hugh Mbatha last Tuesday, for his alleged irregular appointment of engineering consultants on the ambitious scheme to build a new civic centre in the provincial capital, Nelspruit.
Ehlanzeni is being forced to take out a R75m loan for the first phase, because the national government has not provided any project funding.
The municipality initially insisted that the scheme would save the taxpayer millions of rands, until chief financial officer Johan Landman conceded Ehlanzeni would spend R9m a year repaying the loan - almost three times what the council is now paying in rent.
Mayor keeping totally mum
Mkhonto refused to discuss the scheme or Mbatha's suspension, but did confirm that he had been locked out of his office pending an investigation into 'corrupt activity and misconduct'.
Mkhonto said: "The details are too sensitive to be discussed publicly at the moment.
"I have instructed all municipal officials to be careful when discussing this matter. No details will be disclosed until the investigation is concluded."
She flatly refused to confirm or deny allegations that Mbatha was accused of personal benefit in the deal, or whether he had any links with companies appointed to either clear the site on a R4m contract or build the new civic centre on a R75m contract.
"All I can say is that a number of companies are being investigated along with Mbatha - and that we cannot rule out the possibility of arrests," said Mkhonto.
Mbatha was less coy.
He lashed out at the municipality, accusing Mkhonto and other political figures of framing him to silence him.
"Mkhonto is claiming I was irregularly involved in appointing consultants on the new civic centre. This is simply not true. I played no role.
"I was explicitly appointed one year ago to clean up corruption at this municipality.
"I made many enemies by probing dodgy contracts and reviewing payments to staff.
"The last straw was when I asked Mkhonto about a R15m debt-collection contract that was awarded to a Pretoria company without proper tender procedures," said Mbatha.
Labour Court challenge
"I also refused to appoint people they chose to manage a R7.5m arts festival. These are the real reasons for my suspension ... which I am challenging in the Labour Court on Tuesday."
Mkhonto declined to answer any questions on Mbatha's claims.
Mbatha was deployed to Ehlanzeni by the provincial government last year after his predecessor Thoko Mashiane resigned in the wake of multiple corruption, fraud and misconduct charges.
Mbatha has been suspended with full pay.
