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Gauteng police have confirmed that just before she was murdered, Emfuleni accountant Martha Rantsofu had flagged the controversial vehicle procurement deal in which the municipality paid more than R16m for 18 vehicles, despite more than half of them allegedly never being delivered.
Rantsofu was gunned down in broad daylight at a tyre fitment centre in Vanderbiljpark in April.
Former Emfuleni local municipality fleet manager Lerato Mpholo, 42, was arrested at the weekend by the Gauteng political killings task team (PKTT) over the multimillion-rand Emfuleni vehicle tender scandal. He briefly appeared before the Vanderbijlpark magistrate’s court on Monday.
Speaking outside court after Mpholo’s appearance, police spokesperson Col Amanda van Wyk confirmed that the matter forms part of the corruption allegations reported by Rantsofu before she was murdered.
She reported several irregularities in March...and days later she was killed.
— Police spokesperson Col Amanda van Wyk
“She reported several irregularities in March, this being one of them, and days later she was killed,” Van Wyk said. “This matter was reported to the police, and it is through the meticulous work of our Gauteng PKKT that we were able to match this former fleet manager with this tender.”
Sowetan understands that Mpholo’s former assistant, Levy Hlalele, is currently on suspension. Hlalele declined to comment when contacted.
A forensic audit completed in February 2026 identified Mpholo as a central figure in alleged procurement irregularities, including bypassing supply chain management processes, colluding with suppliers and pressuring municipal officials during the procurement process.
According to the report, Mpholo signed invoices confirming delivery of all 18 vehicles despite only seven trucks having been delivered at the time with some already experiencing mechanical problems. Hlalele allegedly signed as the receiving official for all the vehicles, although 11 had not been delivered.
The report found that the municipality suffered losses exceeding R16m, including:
- R8.76m for trucks never delivered.
- R2.85m linked to graders.
- R1.8m for warranty and service packages on graders that reportedly failed after only 137 to 378 operating hours.
- A further R2.85m linked to alleged price inflation of the graders.
Van Wyk added that investigators have so far traced four of the 11 missing vehicles.
“These vehicles have been registered in the names of other entities. Yet the municipality paid the full R16m to procure 18 vehicles. Seven have been delivered, while 11 remain unaccounted for,” she said.
The Emfuleni council recommended that criminal charges be instituted against supplier Maboela Forestry and Construction as well as Mpholo and Hlalele while also considering recovering the municipality’s losses from the service provider.
Emfuleni DA mayoral candidate Kingsol Chabalala said the municipal manager had previously opened criminal cases against the trio.
“We are pleased to see that the long arm of the law will come for those who involve themselves in corruption,” Chabalala said. “However, this must not be the end. This official did not act alone, and we call for an expanded operation to include both the allegedly EFF-linked service provider and their ANC enablers.”
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