Residents of UThukela district in KwaZulu-Natal will soon know the culprits responsible for defrauding the impoverished rural council with its headquarters located in Ladysmith.
The alleged swindling of funds has hampered the provision of water and other basic services. Thousands of residents under the IFP-led council have experienced disrupted water supply. This worsens the already dire situation. The council owes about R 51-million in litigation costs in addition to a hefty bill of over R700-million to its creditors. The area has also been hit by devastating floods, which destroyed the already ageing infrastructure.
Municipal manager Mpumelelo Mnguni said the forensic investigations commissioned earlier last year would shed light into the alleged shenanigans. In an exclusive interview with the Sunday World this week, Mnguni said one of the forensic reports have been concluded and ready to be tabled for council adoption.
“There are two forensic investigations that have been commissioned. One was dealing with a forensic investigation regarding the aspect of contract management. This was about the effectiveness of the systems and to what extent they are manipulated. That feedback report is ready to be tabled,” explained Mnguni.
The investigations follow alleged sabotage regarding the provision of water, among others.
The overtime abuse has resulted in the municipality forking out R4-million in overtime pay alone. Another investigation being carried out relates to the alleged abuse of fuel cards and municipal fleet.
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