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The forensic audit report done 2020 has come to haunt Public Works, Roads and Transport HOD, Charles Morake Morolo, for not against an official who did not declare a conflict of interest.

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Beleaguered Mpumalanga public works, roads and transport head, Charles Morake Morolo, allegedly sat on a damning forensic report which exposed how the department appointed a senior official whose company had a contract with the department without a declaration.

The People’s Eye can reveal that the investigation report done by the Integrity Management Unit (IMU), housed in the Office of the Premier, was finished in 2020, but to date,  nothing has been done about it.

Edwin Jopere Baloyi was appointed director for roads designs and materials while his company, Swaranang Civils and Geographical Services, had a contract with the department. At the time of Baloyi’s appointment, Morolo was infrastructure deputy director-general.

Baloyi did not declare this, according to the IMU’s report finding, which The People’s Eye has seen, when he accepted the job.

Sources within the department said that Baloyi was one of Morolo’s many close associates within the department.

Morolo’s relationship with some of his staff members, led by the National Education Health & Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), has broken down to such an extent that he has been barred from setting foot in his office for about two months because the workers have told him to come back once he has resolved their grievances.

Amongst the grievances are issues of favouritism such as offering undeserved acting positions and protection of certain employees.

The department’s spokesperson, Moosa Ntimba, denied any knowledge of the report.

“The department did not receive any report from IMU in October 2020 regarding the irregular appointment of suppliers as alluded to in your statement. The HOD cannot act or implement a report that he has not seen,” Ntimba said.

The IMU report, however, indicates that investigators interviewed Morolo on March 9 2020 and then engineering chief director, Dancy Malatjie, who has since passed on.

This means that Morolo is aware of this investigation, and when it was finished, he was acting HOD in the department – a position he was subsequently appointed to and still holds to this day.

Mpumalanga government spokesperson, George Mthethwa, did not respond to written questions to confirm that the IMU did such an investigation and, if not, identify the officials who abused resources by doing an investigation that eventually did not serve the purpose.

BALOYI’S COMPANY WAS NOT CREDITED

The IMU report indicates that Swaranang was among three companies that were appointed consultants for the appointments of subcontractors in 2019.

It however found that the Swaranang and the companies were irregularly appointed as they were not accredited with the South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) – which is a body tasked with accreditation of calibration, testing and verification laboratories and inspection bodies.

“However, the department appointed and allowed subcontractors to render services although their laboratories are not in line with the objectives of [Section 03 of Accreditation for Conformity Assessment, Calibration and Good Laboratory Practice Act 19 of 2006],” reads the report.

“The IMU also discovered that the department later appointed Mr Edwin Jopere Baloyi to the position of a director for roads designs and materials on the 2^nd of December 2019. The IMU revealed that Mr Edwin Jopere Baloyi is also a director in one of the appointed subcontractors (Swaranang Civils and Geotechnical Services) that is currently doing business with the department.”

The IMU report said that the department failed to provide proof that Baloyi had resigned as Director of Swaranang. “Having (Baloyi) as director for roads designs and materials and being a director of Swaranang proves that there is a conflict of interest.”

IRREGULAR ACTING POSITIONS APPOINTMENTS

IMU investigators recommended that the department should review Baloyi’s employment status. To date, according to sources within the department, no action was taken against Baloyi.

The IMU further recommended that the department terminate the appointment contracts of Swaranang and the two companies until they were accredited.

Correspondence that The People’s Eye has seen indicate that Premier Mandla Ndlovu, Public Works Roads and Transport MEC Thulasizwe Thomo and Nehawu representative met on March 5 to discuss contentious acting positions appointments.

The union had lodged a complaint about the appointment of Ben Sekwane to act in the position of director for risk and security management and Nonhla Mbethe as director for research and policy development.

Nehawu’s gripe was that Sekwane’s acting appointment was not time-limited according to law and it would be in place “until further notice.” Regarding Mbethe, the union said that she did not qualify.

The meeting resolved that Sekwane would act as director of risk only. Mbethe’s acting was revoked as from April 1.  

Ntimba still denied that there was a stand-off between Morolo and Nehawu. “The HOD has not irregularly appointed any employee. All acting employees in the department were appointed on merits, qualifications and consistent with prescripts,” he said.

SCOPA FINDING

Meanwhile, the Select Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) has recently recommended that Thomo should take disciplinary action against Morolo for failure to implement Scopa and portfolio committee decisions, and for failure to implement a developed audit action plan.

 Scopa has, in the report dated February 10 2025, instructed Morolo to recover R10.5 million that was paid to Mhonyini Trading for no job done in the R145.7 million D4407 road project between Hluvukani and Timbavati.

Morolo conceded to Scopa that Mhonyini was paid for “some of work not done,” but its contract was terminated due to the company’s failure to perform.

The People’s Eye had learnt that the company was liquidated in July 2022. Scopa has instructed Morolo to recover the money.

SITTING ON SHAKY GROUND

Late last year, Morolo’s house was raided by police as they searched for R3 million allegedly solicited from service providers.

At that time, it was alleged that a whistleblower had informed the police about the cash Morolo had. However, the police found nothing in his house and vehicle.

The police however did not confirm anything, but Dhlamini confirmed the incident.

“The Department is not aware about the said allegations. However the vehicle and the house of the HOD were searched and nothing was found. The SAPS is in a better position to respond about the said allegation and the person who reported it,” Dhlamini said at the time.

Other sources said that the raid was a set up aimed at getting Morolo removed as HOD.

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