The North West Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) met with the Madibeng Municipality councillors on Wednesday to discuss governance issues at the municipality.
This follows the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs’ order to the MEC of North West COGTA in November 2024 to investigate allegations of maladministration and wrongdoing affecting financial and human resources malpractices, among others.
The MEC in turn requested the provincial Treasury to assist in funding the cost of appointing investigators. The Finance MEC approved the request. When no further action was taken by provincial Treasury, in March 2025, the COGTA Head of Department requested feedback from provincial Treasury. Provincial Treasury responded that the term of the panel of investigators they had in their system had since lapsed, and as such they could not assist COGTA ‘s request.
As a result the department has now taken the initiative to appoint investigators to undertake the investigation.
The Minister’s order to investigate Madibeng stems from complaints received from an anonymous whistleblower. The complainant submitted complaints to the Minister anonymously in terms of the provisions of the Protected Disclosure Act, 2000. The complainant alleges wrongdoing and maladministration affecting supply chain management processes, financial management malpractice, human resources malpractice, as well as failure to implement the recommendations of investigations conducted in the municipality.
It is envisaged that the service provider should be appointed by 30 May and that the investigation would be completed by the end of August 2025.
Madibeng Municipality is currently under Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act of 2000. The Act empowers the MEC for local government to request information or to appoint investigator(s) if he or she has reason to believe that “maladministration fraud, corruption or any other serious malpractice has occurred or is occurring in a municipality.