Municipality used cash not meant for it
ANC MP and former Rustenburg mayor Matthews Wolmarans and Bojanala district municipality mayor Moloiswa Fetsang are allegedly behind the spending of R134-million by a broke municipality which led to a financial crisis that left more than 100 employees without salaries for two months.
Wolmarans, a senior North West ANC leader, was fingered alongside Fetsang by municipal manager Pogiso Patrick Shikwane and CFO Olga Ndlovu in their representations to the district municipal council motivating why they should not be suspended pending an investigation into the spending of hundreds of millions of rand erroneously deposited into the district municipality bank accounts by the Department of Human Settlements.
This revelations follow submissions made by Fetsang, who said that Ndlovu and Shikwane connived together and kept silent about the funds despite knowing they were erroneously paid to their municipality.
However, the two officials have now turned the tables against Fetsang and Wolmarans’ role in the spending of the R134-million, saying
the mayor lied to the council as the money was spent with her guidance.
Ndlovu, in her representations, said the mayor was the one who advised them to spend the money after they informed her about the error. In her letter, she said Fetsang summoned her to a meeting in her office in April while in the company of Wolmarans, whom she introduced as
her adviser to discuss the payment.
Ndlovu said Fetsang told her she shared the news about the R134-million with Wolmarans and he was going to advise them on what to do with the money.
She said Wolmarans advised them to spend the money and offered to speak to the temporary administrator for local government on their behalf.
Ndlovu said she was not comfortable with the meeting and she alerted Shikwane, who was on leave, about it.
She said upon his return, Shikwane met with Fetsang and came back with the same instruction that the R134-million must be used.
Ndlovu, whose details were also confirmed by Shikwane, said the mayor misled the committees probing the erroneous transfer that she was not aware about the funds and how they were spent.
Shikwane said the mayor was briefed about every development on the matter and said she was even given a report to that effect.
Ndlovu said while Fetsang was claiming ignorance on the matter, she instructed her to make a R6-million allocation to her office budget for operational costs from the R134-million.
Ndlovu said that the R134-million matter was resolved in August and said she was shocked by its sudden resurrection of the case.
Wolmarans did not respond to questions sent to him.
By Aubrey Mothombeni
mothombenia@156.38.205.90
