The mayor of the bankrupt Nketoana Local Municipality in the Free State has allegedly spent almost R100 000 of taxpayers’ money on fuel and a rented vehicle despite failure to pay salaries on time.
The mayor, Mamiki Mokoena, has allegedly been renting a vehicle from a car rental company, Avis, on a monthly basis.
Sources told Sunday Independent that these shocking allegations started after Mokoena damaged a BMW 4 Series that was purchased by the municipality in an accident in 2021.
The sources said no logbooks were kept for the vehicle.
Fuel transactions were made using the ABSA petrol card under Nketoana’s name.
It has been said that the DA also raised the matter in the council meetings and requested a report as to what happened to the vehicle, but the municipality failed to produce the report.
The party also wanted to confirm that the vehicle was used for municipal business.
It has been said that between 2021 and August 2023, Mokoena rented a vehicle, costing the Nketoana close to R850 000.
In March 2023, the municipality purchased another vehicle for Mokoena, but the vehicle was also involved in an accident and written off in November 2023.
Sources claimed there were also no logbooks for this vehicle as well.
This is not the first time Mokoena has been at the centre of controversy.
In 2022, residents called for Mokoena’s immediate removal, claiming she had been involved in corrupt dealings that had taken place in the municipality. The residents claimed that several corruption cases had been opened against Mokoena, where she had been accused of stealing from the public purse.
The community further alleged that Mokoena never qualified to contest the local government elections, adding that voters were shocked to see her return for the second term even though she had never been the people’s choice.
Nketoana is one of the municipalities that has been struggling to pay workers’ salaries in the country. In February, employees embarked on a protest for salaries that were not paid in full. The municipality is also unable to pay creditors on time and still relies on water tankers to deliver water to communities.
Sunday Independent sent questions to Mokoena who referred them to her advisor Philip Nkomo.
Nkomo, who wanted this paper to disclose sources, said he would draft responses with the municipal manager on Thursday afternoon but has failed.
Since February this year, Mokoena has been using a rented Toyota Fortuner on a month-to-month basis.
According to the records, the municipality paid R33 932.02 for fuel and R64 893.81 for the rented vehicle between May and June.
Sources added that there were still no logbooks for the hired vehicles.
The paper is also in the possession of the records in which the DA demanded a report on the vehicles.
“This municipality still delivers water via water tanks to the communities but has prioritised non-essential services in the form of hiring a mayoral car and paying for exorbitant fuel costs. The mayor conducts her private business with the hired vehicles,” said sources.
Nketoana is a local municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyane district and it consists of four towns - Arlington, Lindley, Petrus Steyn and Reitz.
DA councillor Thinus Blignaut said his party was disappointed with the municipality.
Blignaut said the party also proposed a much cheaper alternative such as the installation of pipes to solve the water crisis once and for all but the plea fell on deaf ears. He said this was much cheaper than the water tankers who bill the municipality exorbitant fees monthly.
manyane.manyane@inl.co.za