Manager's fate to be decided

2006-01-09 12:49

Sizwe samaYende

Malelane - A rural Mpumalanga municipality will decide the fate of its manager on Tuesday following the release of an audit report that implicates him in a dodgy R13m pit toilet contract.

The report by provincial auditor-general Douglas Maphiri accuses Nkomazi municipal manager Simon Thani of irregularly awarding a contract to build 4 842 ventilated improved pit (VIP) toilets in 23 rural villages. Each toilet cost R2 720.

According to Maphiri's report, the company that was awarded the contract was not on the tender shortlist, nor was it registered with the Registrar of Companies and it didn't have a VAT number. It had offered the VAT number of a butchery instead.

Nkomazi mayor Selby Khumalo said the council would sit on Tuesday to discuss the report's findings.

Implementing recommendations

"We'll look at how to implement the report's recommendations," Khumalo said.

Maphiri has recommended that Thani be suspended and charged, and he also be sued in the civil court to recover wasted taxpayer's money.

Thani also allegedly gave the company an advance payment of R1,9m about two months before it was officially appointed to do the job.

Thani is also accused of paying a company in advance to do an audit of the toilets.

In the end, the company left some toilets partially built and didn't build others at all.

Thani reportedly cancelled the contracts of two companies that were initially hired for the project, on baseless rumours that they had performed poorly on other projects.

The manager is also accused in the report of similar irregularities when hiring companies to identify indigent families, build water tanks and provide security.

Mpumalanga local government and housing MEC Jabu Mahlangu initiated the investigation and has now left it up to the council to implement the AG's recommendations.

- African Eye