It never rains but it pours for Modimolle-Mookgophong municipality CFO Charles Malema, who is now in hot water for not declaring a criminal complaint against him while he was finance manager at the Mogalakwena municipality – his previous employer.
The Special Investigating Unit, which investigated several tender irregularities at Mogalakwena, referred Malema to the police for a criminal investigation.
The same Malema is currently attending a trial for fraud for allegedly being involved in diverting R5-million meant for security services and VIP toilets, shenanigans which happened at the Sekhukhune municipality, one of his previous employers.
Modimolle, the self-proclaimed “Limpopo’s leading municipality in reliable service delivery and sustainable economic growth”, received a “tip-off” about Malema, stating that he had a case relating to his time at Mogalakwena, which he did not declare when he got the nod for his current job.
Malema has since come out to clear his name, saying there was nothing to declare as the criminal complaint is still in its investigative stage.
Moreover, he went on, he was in the dark about the criminal complaint since he had never been invited or visited for questioning by law enforcement agencies.
Malema’s superior, Modimolle municipal manager Ntoampe Thobela, told Sunday World that the municipality had received the tip-off.
“We do not officially know of it (the criminal complaint). We just saw the report; whether or not he (Malema) knew about it is another story.
“We have not had an official communication from anybody regarding this matter; that is why from my side there was nothing I could do. There was just a tip-off.”
