ActionSA Condemns Persistent Attacks On Ekurhuleni Finance Department Officials
Cllr Michael Basch
ActionSA Ekurhuleni Caucus Whip
ActionSA extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mpho Mafole, the Head of Corporate and Forensic Audits in the City of Ekurhuleni, who was tragically murdered in Kempton Park. His death is not only a loss to his loved ones but a significant blow to the city’s governance and integrity initiatives.
The killing of Mr. Mafole marks the second fatality and third violent attack on senior officials within the Ekurhuleni Finance Department since 2023. This includes the murder of Simnikiwe Mapini, an adjudicator in the Finance Department, who was gunned down in Germiston near Rand Airport on 8 December 2023 and the suspicious shooting of the City’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Kagiso Lerutla on 20 September 2023. While the incident was reported to police, it is deeply troubling that no official statement was ever issued by the City of Ekurhuleni.
These persistent and targeted attacks on officials responsible for safeguarding public finances and ensuring accountability, point to a worrying pattern that demands urgent attention. The silence and lack of transparency from the city, particularly in relation to the CFO’s shooting, only deepens public concern and further erodes trust in the administration.
We call for a thorough, independent investigation into all three incidents, with a clear commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of whistleblowers. We implore law enforcement agencies to act decisively and for the City of Ekurhuleni to take the public into its confidence on matters that clearly affect the safety and functioning of its critical departments.
ActionSA stands in solidarity with the many ethical public servants who continue to serve under increasingly dangerous and uncertain conditions and will continue to advocate for a South Africa in which all forms of corruption, political patronage and profiteering have been eradicated from public and private life.
ActionSA Condemns Persistent Attacks On Ekurhuleni Finance Department Officials
ActionSA extends its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mpho Mafole, the Head of Corporate and Forensic Audits in the City of Ekurhuleni, who was tragically murdered in Kempton Park. His death is not only a loss to his loved ones but a significant blow to the city’s governance and integrity initiatives.
The killing of Mr. Mafole marks the second fatality and third violent attack on senior officials within the Ekurhuleni Finance Department since 2023. This includes the murder of Simnikiwe Mapini, an adjudicator in the Finance Department, who was gunned down in Germiston near Rand Airport on 8 December 2023 and the suspicious shooting of the City’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Kagiso Lerutla on 20 September 2023. While the incident was reported to police, it is deeply troubling that no official statement was ever issued by the City of Ekurhuleni.
These persistent and targeted attacks on officials responsible for safeguarding public finances and ensuring accountability, point to a worrying pattern that demands urgent attention. The silence and lack of transparency from the city, particularly in relation to the CFO’s shooting, only deepens public concern and further erodes trust in the administration.
We call for a thorough, independent investigation into all three incidents, with a clear commitment to transparency, accountability, and the protection of whistleblowers. We implore law enforcement agencies to act decisively and for the City of Ekurhuleni to take the public into its confidence on matters that clearly affect the safety and functioning of its critical departments.
ActionSA stands in solidarity with the many ethical public servants who continue to serve under increasingly dangerous and uncertain conditions and will continue to advocate for a South Africa in which all forms of corruption, political patronage and profiteering have been eradicated from public and private life.