Mopani municipality shows CFO the door over dodgy water tender

Mopani district municipality CFO, Sibongile Mathebula fired for gross negligence on supply chain management processes. Picture: Supplied. An ANC-led municipality in Limpopo fired its chief financial officer (CFO) this week amid allegations of gross negligence in supply chain management processes.

The Mopani district municipal council showed its CFO, Sibongile Mathebula, the door on Tuesday. This follows a lengthy disciplinary process that began in December 2024. The Citizenunderstands that amongst the key charges Mathebula faced are gross negligence relating to the appointment of Ximatsatsa Investment Pty Ltd.

“The company was awarded a R5.6 million tender purchase order for water-related parts for a period of 36 months. On Friday, an inside source at the Mopani district municipality, who asked to speak on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, claimed that a panel of contractors for the district was appointed in 2023, long before the company was registered. A year later, when the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) audited the municipality’s financial books, she flagged the irregularity and notified the council.

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The matter was then brought to the council for notice, which then placed the CFO on precautionary suspension. The suspension, in December 2024, was with pay. Since then, the matter has been dragged through the courts until the council took a final decision to dismiss her on Tuesday.

When contacted byThe Citizen, the former CFO confirmed that she was aware of the charges as she underwent a disciplinary hearing, but refused to comment further. ” My legal team is still processing the verdict and the charges. They will advise accordingly thereafter about the wayforward”

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