ActionSA is appalled by the shocking revelations of financial mismanagement and systemic corruption within the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, as exposed in its latest annual report.
The reckless expenditure of R470 million on overtime payments over the past two years, including payments made to a sewer cleaner while he was incarcerated, is not only outrageous but also a glaring symbol of the ANC-led administration’s contempt for ethical governance and fiscal responsibility. This scandal is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeply entrenched culture of fraud, abuse, and mismanagement that has brought Mangaung to its knees.
The Auditor-General’s report paints a devastating picture: Mangaung is technically bankrupt, with liabilities exceeding assets by R468 million. Even worse, not a single municipality in the Free State managed to achieve a clean audit. This means that every municipality in the province is failing its residents through unchecked corruption, poor financial management, and collapsing oversight.
Where were the councillors entrusted to perform oversight? Where was MPAC in all of these municipalities? And most critically, where was the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) while municipalities in the Free State collapsed into financial ruin under their watch? This is not simply administrative incompetence; it is a dereliction of duty that has left Free State residents without functioning local governments.
This scandal underscores the urgent need for accountability, and ActionSA demands the following immediate actions:
– Comprehensive Investigation: An independent and far-reaching investigation into the abuse of overtime payments and systemic failures in Mangaung, including the role of senior officials and political leadership who enabled this culture of corruption.
– Prosecution of Offenders: Those implicated — from municipal officials to supervisors and councillors — must face prosecution. The Hawks’ investigation into overtime abuse must be accelerated, and the NPA must act decisively to restore public trust.
– Implementation of Strict Financial Controls: Urgent reforms to prevent further abuse of public funds, including strict verification of overtime claims, financial management training, and digital tracking systems.
– Accountability of Leadership: The ANC-led administration must take full responsibility for these failures. Councillors, MPAC structures, and the MEC of COGTA must all answer for their dereliction of oversight duties.
Residents of Mangaung, and indeed the entire Free State, deserve better. They deserve municipalities that prioritize service delivery, financial sustainability, and ethical leadership. ActionSA will continue to expose corruption, hold leaders accountable, and fight for the restoration of good governance that puts residents first, not corrupt officials.
ActionSA Demands Accountability as Mangaung’s R470m Overtime Scandal Exposes ANC’s Financial Mismanagement
ActionSA is appalled by the shocking revelations of financial mismanagement and systemic corruption within the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, as exposed in its latest annual report.
The reckless expenditure of R470 million on overtime payments over the past two years, including payments made to a sewer cleaner while he was incarcerated, is not only outrageous but also a glaring symbol of the ANC-led administration’s contempt for ethical governance and fiscal responsibility. This scandal is not an isolated incident but a symptom of a deeply entrenched culture of fraud, abuse, and mismanagement that has brought Mangaung to its knees.
The Auditor-General’s report paints a devastating picture: Mangaung is technically bankrupt, with liabilities exceeding assets by R468 million. Even worse, not a single municipality in the Free State managed to achieve a clean audit. This means that every municipality in the province is failing its residents through unchecked corruption, poor financial management, and collapsing oversight.
Where were the councillors entrusted to perform oversight? Where was MPAC in all of these municipalities? And most critically, where was the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) while municipalities in the Free State collapsed into financial ruin under their watch? This is not simply administrative incompetence; it is a dereliction of duty that has left Free State residents without functioning local governments.
This scandal underscores the urgent need for accountability, and ActionSA demands the following immediate actions:
– Comprehensive Investigation: An independent and far-reaching investigation into the abuse of overtime payments and systemic failures in Mangaung, including the role of senior officials and political leadership who enabled this culture of corruption.
– Prosecution of Offenders: Those implicated — from municipal officials to supervisors and councillors — must face prosecution. The Hawks’ investigation into overtime abuse must be accelerated, and the NPA must act decisively to restore public trust.
– Implementation of Strict Financial Controls: Urgent reforms to prevent further abuse of public funds, including strict verification of overtime claims, financial management training, and digital tracking systems.
– Accountability of Leadership: The ANC-led administration must take full responsibility for these failures. Councillors, MPAC structures, and the MEC of COGTA must all answer for their dereliction of oversight duties.
Residents of Mangaung, and indeed the entire Free State, deserve better. They deserve municipalities that prioritize service delivery, financial sustainability, and ethical leadership. ActionSA will continue to expose corruption, hold leaders accountable, and fight for the restoration of good governance that puts residents first, not corrupt officials.