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ActionSA welcomes the arrest of Bojanala Platinum District Municipal Manager, Patrick Shikwane, who was taken into custody by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) (The Hawks).

Sikhwane was arrested alongside Moses Malesa who is a director for Marole-Nameng Trading Enterprise.

A forensic report commissioned by the North West Provincial Treasury found that the municipality was repeatedly overcharged for goods and services, including some of which were never rendered or were unrelated to its core business.

The Municipal Manager stands accused of corruption involving R134 million.

He allegedly appointed Marole-Nameng Trading to supply the municipality with disaster relief equipment without following the correct processes.

The most astonishing of the discoveries from the corrupt dealings was that the municipality bought two laptops at R1 million each.

Other exorbitant and suspicious transactions included:

• R10 million paid to an events management company with no address;
• R359 500 paid for lunch and transport of councillors from Rustenburg to Madibeng (65km distance) for a one-day ward committee meeting; and
• A further R299 500 was spent on distribution of 60 food parcels in Moretele Local Municipality, working out to about R4 992 per parcel.

It was discovered that there was no register to serve as proof that the parcels were given to beneficiaries. Shikwane is also accused of giving R500 000 to a local soccer team to which he is linked.

We condemn, in the strongest terms possible, the actions of this senior government official for allegedly colluding to steal state resources.

We are on record stating that there is no place for dishonest civil servants in the public service and that those who continue to steal state resources must be dealt with effectively to sound a warning that improper conduct cannot be tolerated as resolved at our inaugural policy conference last month.

The fact that corruption and cronyism, which lies at the heart of the ANC’s political leadership, have contaminated all levels of government is a setback for all of us who are working hard to fix our country.

ActionSA commends The Hawks for acting swiftly in this case and we believe that the war against fraud and corruption can be rooted out of our government institutions in an ActionSA Provincial Government.

As we pronounced at our recent policy conference, when Action SA takes over government, every senior government manager on every level of government will undergo skills audits to ensure they are fit for the job. Those who are in the public service to loot our scarce resources will be removed.

Similarly, senior officials and office bearers engaged in the supply chain will face regular lifestyle audits unlike what we have seen with the current administration.

ActionSA will be following this case in court to ensure full accountability.

Issued by ActionSA North-West Provincial Chairperson, Kwena Mangope