The Public Servants Association (PSA), a workers union that mainly represents thousands of government employees across the country, is up in arms over the appointment of the North West Parks and Tourism Board Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Morufa Moloto.
Moloto, who is the former acting municipal manager of Madibeng Municipality in Brits, North West, was arrested last July alongside her boyfriend, Letladi Emmanuel Ramoroka, over allegations of corruption.
Irregular tender
The arrest followed accusations involving the awarding of a tender to supply and deliver eight laptops to the Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality in Ganyesa.
Law enforcement contended that Moloto, who is the former CFO of the municipality, had allegedly awarded the contract of R185,000 to Ramoroka’s company, Thatsofaso Trading and Projects, bypassing other bidders with lower quotations in 2018.
Moloto was released on bail of R15 000 while the matter was being investigated. She will be back in court next month.
While on bail, Moloto secured a cushy job as the new CFO of the North West Parks and Tourism Board. And this attracted backlash from the PSA.
Moloto’s new boss is the axed mayor of Kagisano-Molopo Local Municipality, Bitso Lenkopane. She is currently MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism in the North West.
Previously fired as mayor
Lenkopane is also the former boss of Moloto at Kagisano-Molopo. She was fired from her position as a mayor by the ANC alongside six other mayors in the North West in 2018. This is the same year the CFO was accused of dishing out a laptop tender to her tenderpreneur boyfriend, Ramoroka.
North West PSA acting provincial manager Zhulfa Graaff confirmed the matter.
“Ms Moloto is currently out on bail and facing serious allegations of corruption and financial misconduct during her tenure at Madibeng and Kagisano-Molopo municipalities. Her appointment to a key financial oversight position, while under investigation for a criminal offence, reflects a disturbing disregard for ethical governance, due diligence, and public accountability,” said Graaf.
Graff has urged the North West premier, Lazarus Mokgosi, to urgently launch an independent investigation into the recruitment and appointment processes followed in Moloto’s position.
“It is alarming that a candidate facing such serious charges could be appointed to manage public funds without proper vetting or consideration of the reputational risk and trust implications for the institution and the public it serves.
PSA wants appointment reviewed
“The PSA further urges the Northwest Parks and Tourism Board to immediately review and reverse the appointment of Ms Moloto pending the outcome of the legal proceedings and the internal investigation,” said Graff.
She pointed out that the appointment of Moloto also demonstrated cases of cadre deployment. This is where merit-based processes are overlooked, and this results in compromising service delivery and public confidence in government institutions.
Moloto and Lenkopane were sent questions to comment on the matter. However, they had not responded at the time of going to print.
