The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) submitted an urgent motion to the Municipal Manager of the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality (Bethal, Charl Cilliers, Embalenhle, Evander, Kinross, Leandra, Secunda, Trichardt, Emzinoni), Mr Eliot Maseko, requesting a formal investigation into allegations of fraud and the violation of the Code of Conduct for Councillors levelled against a local ANC councillor.
The step follows the recent arrest of an ANC councillor on 27 April 2025 on charges of fraud, and allegedly unlawfully selling municipal land and homes in Embalenhle.
The councillor, who appeared before the Secunda Magistrate’s Court on 29 April, is accused of conspiring with a mediator to trick a community member into paying between R30 000 and R50 000 for a piece of land that is, in fact, a public thoroughfare.
Allegations suggest that R8 000 was paid directly into the councillor’s personal bank account before the councillor allegedly issued a forged confirmation of ownership letter to the community member. The transaction allegedly took place in September 2024 and subsequent municipal inquiries confirmed that the land in question is indeed public property, pointing to deliberate misrepresentation and exploitation.
Despite the gravity of the situation and clear evidence of misconduct, the councillor remains active in his position and to date, no disciplinary action has been taken. The ANC leadership simply ignores the concerns raised by opposition parties during council meetings. It points to a shocking lack of accountability and transparency.
In light of all this, the Freedom Front Plus also demands an investigation into the failure of the Speaker, Ms Fikile Magagamela, to implement the appropriate disciplinary procedures as it clearly amounts to the dereliction of duty and violation of municipal legislation.
If action is not taken soon, the matter will be escalated to the Freedom Front Plus’s Member of the Provincial Legislature, Mr Werner Weber, to call on the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr Speedy Mashilo, to urgently appoint a task team to probe the general allegations of unlawful land sales in which several Embalenhle councillors are implicated.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep monitoring the matter closely and will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that offenders are held accountable.
;
