Middelburg – Steve Tshwete municipality Speaker Thato Mathunyane is standing his ground that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will not dictate how the council handles a recently tabled forensic report with damning findings.
The report emanates from an investigation initiated last year after allegations of corruption about awarding of tenders for the Mhluzi intake substation construction in Chromeville.
Highveld Chronicle has been reliably informed that the damning report will reveal possible double payments to contractors, missing equipment, unaccounted funds and concerns regarding the non-functionality of the Mhluzi substation, despite significant expenditure.
The report will also reveal that the municipality may have deviated from both its electricity master plan and integrated development plan. This deviation may have led to an exorbitant inflation of the overall project, up from R30 million to around R150 million.
Despite the extensive discussions that stretched nearly the entire day, council was unable to reach a conclusion on Thursday, 07 August 2025. Following the deadlock, Mathunyane decided that the meeting will continue at a later date, which is yet to be announced.
A couple of days later, the DA’s chief whip, Palesa Mobango, drafted a letter to Mathunyane, urging for the immediate scheduling of the continuation meeting. “This must happen so that those implicated in wrongdoing during the construction of a substation face the full might of the law. Some employees acted irregularly and exposed to millions in wasteful expenditure,” Mobango said.
Mathunyane, also a member of the Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front (MHRF), said that he is committed to following the council established rules and will not be hurried by the party’s demands.
Mobango explained that, during an oversight visit in May, they discovered a stark reality: despite the substantial funds utilised, the substation offered no advantages to the residents, as it remained disconnected from Eskom’s electricity grid.
“The council is now in possession of a damning forensic report which details how the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) and Supply Chain Management policies were flouted. This meeting must be reconvened and all of the recommendations contained in the report must be adopted so that the Municipal Manager, Mandla Mnguni, can crack whip on municipal staff members and the appointed contractors who are accused of wrongdoing,” she said.
“This forensic report, which is in council’s possession, will not gather dust. Ratepayers deserve justice and the DA will ensure that this prevails. The DA will not relent until the Municipal Manager acts on the recommendations of this report.”
In response to this demand, Mathunyane clarified why the council couldn’t fully address the issue. “The forensic report was brought to the council on the very day it was discussed, which contradicts our standard procedures for handling daily matters,” he stated.
“Our rules of order clearly outline when a notice and agenda should be distributed to the council. We proceeded with the meeting because a representative from Mgiba was present to give a presentation, and we allowed that to happen. It’s quite unfortunate that the DA is fully aware that when a meeting concludes in such a manner, it’s classified as a continuation meeting, as per rule 42 of our regulations.”
Referring to the procedural rules, Mathunyane pointed out that a continuation meeting must be scheduled between seven and 14 days. “I will be sure to address this with them and remind them of the established rules for conducting meetings,” he said.
In May, the DA attempted to remove Mathunyane through a no-confidence motion, accusing him of failing to fulfil his duties by not facilitating council meetings to table the report. However, the motion collapsed after failing to secure the required number of councillor signatures.
“Everyone is genuinely seeking resolution in this situation. However, we can’t rush to achieve closure at the expense of the council’s regulations. If we approach this matter without adhering to proper procedures, we might find ourselves in a precarious position,” Mathunyane said. “I’m now quite cautious about the way we move forward with this issue.”
