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IS MAFUBE TROIKA UNDER FIRE?

  • Writer: MBF
    MBF
  • 2 hours ago
  • 2 min read

The Free State High Court ordered the Mafube Local Municipality Mayor (MLM), Tlhoare Motsoeneng, along with the previous Municipal Manager, Mothusi Lepheana and Chief Financial Officer, Dimakatso Tau to be personally liable for R14.7 million in unpaid pension contributions to the Municipal Workers' Retirement Fund (MWRF).

 

This January 2025 ruling follows ongoing financial crises, including salary delays in 2025. 

Key details regarding the Mafube Mayor and the financial crisis:

 

  • Personal Liability: The court held the Mayor, Municipal Manager, and CFO personally liable for the R14.7 million owed, a move aimed at holding officials accountable for failing to pay over employee deductions.

  • Background: The municipality has been plagued by severe financial mismanagement, with reports of unpaid pension contributions and salaries.

  • Legal Action: The MWRF secured the order to ensure workers receive their benefits. The municipality, however, has taken the matter on appeal, arguing that the municipality, rather than individual officials, should be held liable.

  • The judgement: Judge Opperman pre-empted the appeal argument, stating in her judgement of 17 January 2025 that “The Municipality would rather challenge each and every application brought to assist the pension fund members rather than pay its employees' money to the Fund. There is a mysterious delay rather than a solution to an ongoing undisputed problem, namely the non-payment of the arrear pension monies of the Fund's members to the Fund by the Municipality.”

  • Ongoing Crisis: The municipality, which has been under Section 139 administration since 2022, is facing a, in some cases, total collapse of service delivery, with workers protesting over missed salaries throughout 2025. 

 

The court has also instructed that a copy of the judgment be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for further investigation and possible prosecution of the trio. At the time of publication, it is not known whether any arrangements for payment of the R14.7million had been made but the two municipal officials have left the employ of MLM and the Mayor has been rumoured to have resigned from his position.


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