A political storm has erupted at the Mahikeng Local Municipality after the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Oageng Molapisi, threatened to take the council to court to nullify the recent appointment of five senior officials, including the crucial Chief Financial Officer (CFO) position.
The move has sparked calls for a full investigation from opposition parties, who are divided on the MEC’s motives, with some alleging political interference by the ANC.
The crisis stems from a letter written by MEC Molapisi to the municipality’s Mayor, Tshepiso Mphehlo. In the letter, the MEC outlines his intention to seek a declaratory order from the court to have the appointments—finalized in January 2025—declared invalid. Molapisi cited a litany of alleged irregularities in the recruitment process as the reason for his unprecedented intervention.
The specific irregularities listed include:
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Conducting interviews before completing the mandatory candidate screening, instead of after.
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Failing to indicate the place of station in the job advertisement.
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Compiling the chairperson’s consolidated report only after interviews were held.
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Appointing candidates whose qualifications did not align with the advertised requirements.
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Failing to attach a critical report from the National Department of COGTA confirming that no short-listed candidates had been dismissed from previous posts or resigned during disciplinary proceedings.
However, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in the province have accused MEC Molapisi of abusing his power. The party claims the MEC’s action is politically motivated, suggesting the real issue is that the appointed managers were not approved by the ANC’s deployment committee.
“After so long of these senior managers, including the CFO, acting in the municipality, the MEC now comes back to reverse the entire process,” a representative stated. “We are saying if there are irregularities, a full investigation must be initiated… but we are aware that in the main, this is not even about irregularities to a greater extent… it’s in the main about politics.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has expressed its own concerns, stating it was led to believe in council that the process was “above board.” The party did, however, confirm it had objected to the appointment of one official, Mr. Mahole, for the corporate services position due to separate allegations of fraud and nepotism being investigated by the Hawks.
An independent governance expert interviewed supported the MEC’s stance on one key issue, calling it a “very valid point” likely to succeed in court. “The MEC is questioning how you screen officials after the interview has been done… I think this is something that the court should come into play and clarify,” the expert said, adding that such oversight constitutes “healthy intergovernmental practice.”
In a potential de-escalation, it is understood that the Mahikeng Local Municipality has approached the Department of Cooperative Governance requesting a meeting to settle the dispute out of court. For now, the municipality has officially declined to comment on the matter.
The situation leaves the senior management of the municipality in a state of uncertainty, with a legal challenge looming and intense political pressure threatening to unravel its recent appointments.
