Mpumalanga Public Works, Roads and Transport head Charles Morolo says he will step down when his contract expires at the end of May, insisting the decision was his and not a move by Premier Mandla Ndlovu to push him out.
Morolo’s remarks come as the Office of the Premier has advertised his R2.3 million-a-year post, prompting questions about whether the province is quietly replacing a senior official facing mounting scrutiny.
“I had already indicated to the premier and the MEC [Thulasizwe Thomo] that at the end of my contract I’ll be leaving and I won’t reapply for the position. That one is very clear,” Morolo told Sunday World.
He also backed the decision to advertise the post.
“It’s thumbs up that they have advertised the position. This means there won’t be any vacuum when someone has left and there is no one at the top, especially given the criticality and centrality of the department,” he said.
The Office of the Premier has initiated a recruitment process for a new superintendent-general, offering R2 352 642 a year plus a 10% allowance.
While Ndlovu’s executive committee recently renewed contracts for two other heads of department, Morolo’s position has been opened for applications ahead of his contract expiry.
His departure, on May 31, comes amid overlapping oversight processes that have placed his department under intense scrutiny.
A Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) audit report dated March 31, 2026, flagged serious internal control deficiencies and directed the department’s accounting officer to act.
The instruction also calls for an investigation into contracting strategy failures and disciplinary action where necessary.
The Mpumalanga Parliamentary Village project, initially budgeted at R300-million with a 2020 completion target, has since ballooned to nearly R1-billion and remains incomplete.
The committee’s resolution states that accountability must be enforced where failures are evident.
Separately, the Public Protector made adverse findings against Morolo in a matter involving the alleged abuse of official vehicles and petrol cards, directing that disciplinary steps be considered.
Morolo challenged that process in the Mbombela High Court on an urgent basis, but later withdrew the application and was ordered to pay legal costs. The review application remains pending on the normal court roll. His case is yet to stand the acid test in court.
The Democratic Alliance said accountability should extend beyond project managers.
“The DA welcomes this order taken by Scopa for action against project managers to be taken for failing to do oversight monitoring; but we must also emphasise that the executive authority and accounting officers from the Provincial Department of Public Works must also take the blame for project delays and their inability to stick within budget,” said DA MPL Teboho Sekaledi.
Provincial government spokesperson George Mthethwa said the timing of the advertisement is procedural.
“All HODs sign a contract upon their appointments, and they are not permanent. Therefore, this suggests that at some point the contract will lapse, and this is in accordance with the Public Service Act,” said Mthethwa.
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- Mpumalanga Public Works, Roads and Transport head Charles Morolo says he will step down when his contract expires at the end of May, insisting the decision was his and not a move by Premier Mandla Ndlovu to push him out.
- Morolo’s remarks come as the Office of the Premier has advertised his R2.3 million-a-year post, prompting questions about whether the province is quietly replacing a senior official facing mounting scrutiny.
- “I had already indicated to the premier and the MEC [Thulasizwe Thomo] that at the end of my contract I’ll be leaving and I won’t reapply for the position.
- That one is very clear,” Morolo told Sunday World.
- He also backed the decision to advertise the post.
