Lerato Maloka, the mayor of Sedibeng District Municipality, has accused the municipal manager of running a smear campaign to remove her from office.
Maloka alleged that the municipal manager, Motsumi Mathe, was using the media and some members of the ANC to de-campaign her.
Maloka made these allegations during an interview with the Sunday Independent this week.
She said her fallout with Mathe started after he demanded a salary adjustment and unlawfully increased it without following proper procedures.
However, Mathe said the allegations were not true, adding that he and Maloka have a professional working relationship guided by applicable and relevant acts and regulations in performing their duties, powers, and functions.
“We are both accountable to Council and the stakeholders we serve,” he said.
Mathe became the municipal manager of Sedibeng District Municipality in May 2022. He previously managed Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the Free State.
Realising that his salary was at a lower level as the senior manager, Mathe requested an adjustment in his salary. Maloka was delegated to negotiate a salary with him.
Following the negotiation, the municipality wrote to the then Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Lebogang Maile, who declined to support the idea due to the municipality’s financial position and advised that the municipality take the issue to the Minister.
The municipality applied to waive his remuneration to the then Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Both Maile and Dlamini-Zuma are no longer in Cogta following the change of leadership after the elections earlier this year.
Maloka said as a result, the municipality had to apply again to the new leadership in Gauteng. The new MEC, Mzi Khumalo, supported the application and advised that the matter should be taken to the council to make a decision to take it to the Minister.
Maloka said Khumalo also requested her to deal with the unapproved salary that Mathe has been receiving because it was an irregular expenditure.
Maloka said that, as a result, Mathe had to take a salary cut to the previous lower level before sending the waiver application to the current Minister of Cogta.
She said this was also supported by the council.
Maloka said Mathe wrote to the speaker in January and complained that she cut her salary unlawfully, and asked the speaker to intervene. She said Mathe also made similar claims in the council and she never got an opportunity to respond.
However, in March, Minister Thembi Nkadimeng approved the waiver application but under the following conditions:
- Affordability by the municipality within its current budget
- Adoption of an action plan by the municipal council indicating how the municipality will address the limitations raised in the letter
- The waiver approval would terminate on the date that the contract of Mathe, executive director of corporate services and executive director of strategic development and planning, in terms of law governing their appointments.
Maloka said the effective date was the date of the signature.
She said Mathe was also told about the effective date.
She said the council agreed to approve the waiver from March 16 so Mathe and the other two management could be paid their money.
However, the municipality received request another from Nkadimeng dated April 2 and stated that the three should be paid retrospectively, from the date of their appointments. This was also subjected to the same conditions made in March.
Following the approval, Mathe adjusted his salary and that of two other executive directors. Maloka said at that time was absent and the MMC for Finance was the acting mayor. Mathe paid himself R264,959.57. The executive director of corporate services and executive director of strategic development and planning were paid R336,544.64 and 336,544.66, respectively.
Maloka said the three changed the recommendations of the council meeting in March and forced the speaker to sign an extract.
On August 28, the council delegated Maloka and councillor Holthauzen to request Mathe to submit a written explanation and give reasons why he implemented a salary adjustment and approved it to the retrospective payment to himself and the other two executive directors.
In his response on September 28, Mathe accused Maloka of reviewing actual council resolutions of April 30, in an effort to trick and mislead the council. He said Maloka was using the council's powers to dismiss her at all costs.
“Council considered a report and resolved on adjustment of salaries and payments thereof for the municipal manager and the two Executive Directors. Yes, Council requested the municipal manager to provide details on payments made, and he did. The detailed response is set to be tabled in the next Council of the November 27, 2024,” Mathe said.
Sunday Independent