Senior Mpumalanga government official Charles Morolo, who is accused of wrongdoing, financial mismanagement, and ignoring oversight groups, is trying to resign at the end of May without facing punishment, even though the Public Protector has found against him, the legislature’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) has made recommendations, and there is a new internal investigation in the province.
In a written submission, Morolo, the head of the provincial department of public works, roads, transport and infrastructure, is pleading with Premier Mandla Ndlovu to let him walk away unpunished, two months before his contract expires.
In December 2025, the Public Protector made adverse findings against Morolo and directed that disciplinary action be taken, giving Ndlovu 90 days to act. Those 90 days expire at the end of this month. Sunday World has learned that Morolo approached the court on an urgent basis to block the implementation of the Public Protector’s remedial action. However, the urgent application was withdrawn at the last moment, further hindering Ndlovu’s ability to act.
The office of the Public Protector confirmed Morolo’s urgent application in the Mpumalanga High Court, which it opposed. However, on February 27, both parties agreed to remove the matter from the urgent roll.
“The report is on an investigation into allegations of maladministration by the functionaries of the Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport, in connection with abuse of official vehicles and petrol cards,” said Public Protector acting spokesperson Ndile Msoki.
On February 27, the Mbombela High Court confirmed the removal of Morolo’s application from the urgent roll. Most notably, the court also ordered that Morolo pay the Public Protector’s legal costs. However, with the court yet to allocate a new hearing date for the matter, Morolo may have been granted leeway to avoid facing the disciplinary hearing as recommended by the Public Protector.
At the same time, Scopa had already raised red flags about Morolo’s leadership, recommending that disciplinary steps be taken after the department recorded billions of rands in irregular expenditures, failed to implement audit action plans, and ignored previous oversight resolutions.
Among the most glaring issues flagged by Scopa was the instruction that Morolo recover at least R10.5-million paid to a contractor, Mhonyini Trading, for work that was not done on a R145.7-million road project. The committee also highlighted runaway project costs, including one that ballooned from R421.7-million to R627.5-million, as well as more than 100 litigation cases exposing the department to hundreds of millions of rands in potential liabilities.
These findings painted a picture of a systemic breakdown, where oversight instructions were issued but not implemented.
In the latest misconduct finding against him, Morolo was outed for a violent confrontation with members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) at the provincial government complex in Mbombela.
The altercation, which erupted during a boardroom meeting, left the head of department absent from work for weeks, effectively paralysing leadership in a department already grappling with governance failures.
The internal provincial investigation has recommended charging Morolo for misconduct stemming from the Nehawu confrontation, tightening the net around him.
In his written submission to Ndlovu, Morolo has pushed back on all fronts, attacking the credibility of the investigation and urging the province to abandon disciplinary action.
“The omission of material evidence from the report is procedurally unfair… This conduct impairs the integrity of the investigations,” he wrote.
He argued that the case against him is fundamentally weak and would not survive a formal hearing.
“When one carefully analyses the report… the basis for taking corrective actions against me is inadequate and unsubstantiated.
“The allegations against me are highly improbable, far from the truth and unable to succeed in a formal disciplinary hearing,” he wrote.
Morolo also leaned on his public service record and the timing of his departure, noting that his contract is nearing its end.
“I have indicated herein… the fact that my contract with the department is about to end,” he stated. “I confirm that my actions were measured, lawful, and consistent with my statutory obligations as an accounting officer. I therefore submit that no disciplinary action is warranted.”
The convergence of three separate accountability processes now places Ndlovu under mounting pressure to act decisively.
Provincial government spokesperson George Mthethwa did not respond to Sunday World’s media enquiry, neither did Morolo.
