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ANC comrades claim that Govan Mbeki (Secunda) mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, put his fingers in an elections kitty

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Sizwe sama Yende

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New allegations of embezzlement of ANC elections funds have emerged against Mpumalanga’s Govan Mbeki local municipality mayor, Nhlakanipho Zuma, even though a move to oust him through a motion of no confidence has failed.

Zuma’s position was saved by the African Transformation Movement (ATM), which voted together with the ANC to get 27 votes on January 30.

The DA brought the motion but its attempt fell flat as it could only garner 22 votes after voting as bloc with the Freedom Front Plus, Azanian Residents Party and Inkatha Freedom Party.

The DA’s reason to get Zuma removed were based on:

·      The disappearance of R3million  that was allocated for the facelift of a theatre;

·      The splurge of R160 000 to upgrade the  drivers’ licences of four employees who needed to upgrade to Code 14 when the municipality bought new trucks to patch roads.

“Despite the motion not passing, the DA remains undeterred. This motion was never about political battles, but the improvement of services for residents of Govan Mbeki,” said DA councillor, Desire Krantz.

Zuma is, however, not only under the DA’s spotlight. His ANC comrades also wish to see his back.

They have alleged that Zuma embezzled money put in the party’s elections kitty.

According to an ANC member with knowledge of the matter, they found out later that the account belonged to a joint venture company registered in Zuma’s name and another councillor.

“Service providers put money in that account, but money was withdrawn each time there was a deposit. The ANC must act against him,” the member said.

Zuma promised via WhatsApp to respond to all allegations on Wednesday (January 29) afternoon, but he had not done so at the time the story was published.

In another matter, former Govan Mbeki ANC councillor, Nick Mathabe, has instructed his lawyers to write to Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs asking him to intervene after the municipality did not cancel a security contract that a law firm found was irregularly awarded.  

Mathabe was interviewed by Motlatsisileke Incorporated in 2020 about the appointment of Hesh Tag Imvumo (Pty) Ltd. Motlatsisileke was appointed to conduct a forensic audit into the affairs of the municipality.

Instead of canceling the contract as Motlatsisileke Incorporated had advised, the municipality offered Hesh Tag month to month contracts.

“On 29 November 2024, we wrote to a letter to the municipal manager (Elliot Maseko) and the speaker (Fikile Magagamela) informing them about the unlawful agreement the municipality has with Hesh Tag Imvumo, and that such agreement amounted to irregular expenditure,” reads the letter that Nkosi SS Attorneys wrote to Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa on January 13 this year.

In the November letter the lawyers warned that the municipal officials were in violation of the Municipal Finance Management Act and would be liable to reimburse the council themselves.

They drew Maseko and Magagamela’s attention to a Nelson Mandela Bay Metro case where the Eastern Cape Division of the High Court in Gqeberha and later the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered that municipal officials who participated in the appointment of a communications and marketing strategy consulting company without following tender procedures to pay back from their own pockets R7.7 million that was paid to the service provider.

Govan Mbeki is one of three hung municipalities in Mpumalanga. The ANC leads it after the EFF offered support. The ANC received 38.6% of the votes after the 2021 local government elections.

The other hung municipalities in Mpumalanga are    Steve Tshwete municipality in Middelburg where the ANC got 36.8% and Lekwa in Standerton where the ANC also lost its traditional majority for the first time when it was voted by 42%.