A mayoral candidate of one Limpopo municipality is seeking legal advice after a social media post claimed she has been disqualified from the race due to allegations of corruption and maladministration.
Former Lepelle-Nkumpi mayor Merriam Molala’s name appeared in a document circulated on social media claiming she had been implicated by a public protector report into the affairs of the Mogalakwena municipality, where she was the acting municipal manager.
The document also claimed that Molala was implicated in another forensic investigation report on supply chain management and procurement irregularities while she was the municipal manager for the Capricorn district municipality.
Last year, public protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found Molala guilty of improper conduct after she had irregularly appointed deputy manager for corporate services Jabu Mashamaite during her tenure as the acting municipal manager of Mogalakwena local municipality.
Mkhwebane recommended that the mayor should discipline Molala for appointing Mashamaite, who didn’t meet the minimum requirements for the position.
Molala yesterday told Sowetan that she had received the document and was shocked to see serious allegations against her without without having being given the opportunity to defend herself.
“I have asked my attorney to look into the matter and explore who is behind this. I’m going to the [mayoral] interview and these allegations have weighed me down, and I'm also going to raise the issue with the panelists,” she said.
Molala claimed the document had been circulated a day before she was to be interviewed by the panel. She said this had made preparing for the interview difficult.
“I don't know the source of the information but if it’s the PEC [provincial executive committee] I don’t know what to say because they did ask me about the PP [public protector] report and I provided the information, with proof of the court order which set aside and reviewed the report. And again you cannot make a finding against me without giving me an opportunity to tell my side of the story,” she said.
She said she did not know anything about the forensic report implicating her.
The ANC was scheduled to complete its interviews with mayoral candidates yesterday. The party’s requirements are stringent on those facing allegations of corruption and it has demanded that all mayoral candidates be in possession of a post-matric qualification.
According to a PEC member, some regional structures had disregarded ANC processes by forwarding names of mayoral candidates who did not meet the party’s requirements.
“Some of the regions are to be instructed to resubmit because you find that out of three candidates only one has post-matric qualifications. For example, in Maruleng municipality in the Norman Mashabane region we only had one candidate who meets the requirements and the other two didn’t,” the PEC member said.
The member added the issue of lack of qualifications was prevalent in all the regions in the province.
Sowetan understands that Sekhukhune district, Blouberg, Elias Motsoaledi and Molemole are expected to re-submit new names as a result of those initially forwarded not meeting requirements.
ANC provincial secretary Soviet Lekganyane said he was not surprised that some of the regions would be asked to resubmit mayoral candidates.
“The report was presented to the PEC and I raised the issue about corrupt and unqualified candidates in the list. But I was overruled by the majority, who want to continue to protect corruption,” he said.
Lekganyane, who is also a panelist, said some of the candidates had induction certificates from the SA Local Government Association as qualifications.
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