The Radical Economic Transformation (RTM) in Moretele welcomed the visit by the HAWKS to the Moretele Local Municipality today 08 March 2019.
President of the movement, Mr Anthony Cossa, said they believe that the Hawks will root out the corruption and injustices in Moretele Local Municipality and that all implicated officials will be arrested.
“We also appreciate the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa to make sure that what he has promised to root out corruption in all government institutions is actually happening.
“We call upon the leadership of the municipality as led by Mayor Monaheng to work with the Hawks in Making sure that all corrupt officials are held accountable for looting the municipal coffers.
This follows the instruction earlier last month by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe allegations of corruption at the Moretele Local Municipality dating as far back as January 2016.
The municipality is embroiled in allegations of serious maladministration after revelations that it contravened National Treasury regulations by diverting R50 million from a grant meant for water infrastructure in the 2017/18 budget to bank it with the liquidated VBS Mutual Bank.
Moretele mayor Andries Monaheng and six other mayors in North West were recalled with immediate effect by the governing African National Congress in December following the irregular investment of municipal coffers in VBS.
In September angry members of the public in Moretele set alight a municipal hall and the guard house during a violent service delivery protest.
In a proclamation published in the Government Gazette, President Ramaphosa said the SIU would probe, among others, the unlawful appropriation or expenditure of public money and the intentional or negligent loss of public money.
He said the SIU investigation would look into allegations of maladministration from January 1, 2016 to date and institute proceedings for the recovery of related funds.
Last week the local RTM expressed relief after the Municipality Council announced that the municipal manger will face disciplinary actions because the RTM believes he is innocent as allegedly the incidents happened before he assumed office.