Own agenda: Polediso Motsoeneng defies orders from above. Photo: ANC Free State region
The A.N.C The Provincial Working Committee in the Free State has been accused of defying the party’s representatives in government, leading to the party’s near collapse. Matjhabeng Local Municipality.
Sources say provincial chairman Mxolisi Dukwana and Secretary Polediso Motsoeneng have used their political power to undermine the Prime Minister MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae’s intervention in the municipality, which is currently under partial management.
Motsoeneng and Dukwana have resisted the province’s intervention to protect their financial interests in the municipality, the sources told the newspaper. Post and guardian.
This, they said, in turn made him mayor Thanduxolo Khalipha untouchable, allowing him to act without consequences.
For years, the municipality has failed to provide residents with sufficient water and sanitation or to efficiently collect revenue from customers, while contracts have been awarded to companies that have not completed their work or have not carried it out properly. The country is also struggling to service its debts, leading to a court order and a mandatory financial recovery plan.
Several people are believed to have died under mysterious circumstances after raising concerns about corruption within the municipality, sources with intimate knowledge of the matter said. They added that this had deterred potential whistleblowers who feared for their lives.
“We are concerned about consuming food and water in public places due to the uncertainty. The former municipal manager drank water at an event and complained of chest pain and subsequently died. Some persons were allegedly killed for highlighting corruption,” one of the several sources said.
A company responsible for billing the municipality’s water meters was initially terminated when its contract expired, but was later placed on a month-to-month agreement.
The municipality then appointed a new revenue raising company, which would reportedly pay R2 million per month. The new company uses municipal offices and phones to call residents, urging them to pay for services and issuing estimated bills, which residents often dispute.
Before the new company arrived, the council collected about 65% of revenue from service users, but this has now fallen to about 51%, sources said.
The recent purchase by the municipality of two vacuum jet sewer trucks at a high price of R20 million has also raised concerns as both vehicles have begun to experience mechanical problems, with one already inoperable.
“The municipality reportedly buys trucks through auctions from other municipalities and then takes them to a workshop to be repainted to make them look new. Recently, some trucks were taken to the licensing department to be registered after they were claimed to be new, but the registration system rejected them as some belonged to other municipalities,” a source said.
Another source said the biggest problem in Matjhabeng was that the ANC leadership was undermining the prime minister’s intervention guidelines.
“Those in government make recommendations to the PWC (provincial working committee) on what should be done in municipalities, but the PWC then approaches residents and instructs them according to its own agenda,” they said.
“The problem is that the Prime Minister is not the chairman of the ANC; Dukwana is. As a result, even when the Prime Minister makes decisions, the PWC can override her because they are the ones who deployed her.”
In a January 2026 report, Makalo Mohale, a representative of the Matjhabeng provincial executive council, raised serious concerns about the municipality’s finances and governance, including R6 billion to Eskom and R7 billion to Vaal Central Water. The Auditor General has issued qualified opinions for the past three years.
In the report, Mohale also highlighted irregular contracts, a poorly functioning disciplinary board, 70 default judgments against the municipality, collapsed infrastructure, excessive sewage and water leaks and low maintenance expenditure of 1.2% of the budget versus the standard of 8%.
Mohale told M&G this week that the council had not implemented any of his recommendations and that his reports were simply ignored.
“They refuse; they are defiant. But I don’t stop – I keep telling them what needs to be done. I have escalated the matter to the executive council to consider other options,” he said.
However, Mohale could not confirm whether senior politicians or their allies benefited from municipal contracts.
“I am not in a position to confirm or even raise suspicions as I have not received the basic information that would allow me to do so. If I had, I might be able to identify companies that I suspect are connected,” he said.
In a media briefing after her State of the Province address last week, Prime Minister Letsoha-Mathae said the provincial government had been forced to intervene in Matjhabeng after the Democratic Alliance took the municipality to court.
“Two weeks ago I was in Matjhabeng to visit families affected by the conditions we see there. We have contacted contractors on site to understand the scope of the work. We are also working closely with the water and sanitation departments and the CEO of Vaal Central to ensure we improve people’s lives,” she said.
She said the problems facing the municipality include aging infrastructure and population growth, exacerbated by weak leadership.
“Where there is no leadership, people will do as they please. Even completing projects on time becomes a problem. I keep a close eye on Matjhabeng and visit fortnightly to ensure we deliver and improve the lives of our people,” Letsoha-Mathae said.
“We need serious intervention in Matjhabeng and we need it now. We need to work together across departments to ensure results.”
Motsoeneng denied allegations that he or any member of his family had benefited financially or otherwise from the Matjhabeng Municipality through a company doing business there.
“I have nothing to do with the alleged corruption in Matjhabeng Municipality that I am involved in. I am the guardian of the ANC’s resolutions, including the fight against corruption and crimes,” he told the newspaper. M&G.
“I am the secretary of a political party and have no authority to interfere in the affairs of the government. Where does the provincial secretary get the power to instruct residents to defy a legally authorized intervention over the collective he leads?”
Dukwana admitted that some companies in the past had allegedly received money from the municipality without doing any work, but insisted this was before Khalipha’s tenure. He said the allegations against him were baseless and faceless and that those who brought them forward knew they were not telling the truth.
“When things changed, some people who had benefited – including some union leaders – were affected. There was even profiteering, and some people benefited at the expense of workers,” he said.
“Workers were drowning in debt and dependent on overtime. When Khalipha came in, he addressed the situation, which was causing problems. People then started calling for his dismissal because they were no longer getting what they used to get.”
Dukwana said that after Khalipha’s intervention, critics began accusing him of various violations in an attempt to have him removed from his position. When they realized this was not working, they allegedly implicated both Dukwana and Motsoeneng, claiming they were taking advantage of companies doing work for the municipality, he claimed.
“I don’t have any company that I work with. People can investigate and do what they need to do. I have nothing to hide. The problem is people don’t want to take responsibility for the mess in the community,” he said.
“Khalipha is no angel; there are challenges he faces. But they cannot expect us, simply because they shout the loudest, to take action and remove Khalipha. We are conducting an intervention in that community. My interest is in the organization. There are people who do not deserve to be in the positions they hold.”
Mayoral spokesperson Tsediso Tlali rejected claims that the municipality is withholding financial information, saying such accusations create a false narrative that undermines the constitutional restoration process.
He said the financial recovery plan is being implemented through a broader intergovernmental framework involving the municipality, the provincial councils and the Ministry of Finance, and reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to transparency and lawful governance.
Tlali also rejected allegations of inflated prices for two sewage trucks purchased on June 30, 2025, stating that they were lawfully acquired through an accredited treasury provider under the transversal RT57 contract, in full compliance with the Municipal Financial Management Act and supply chain regulations.
He said comparisons with a cheaper model are misleading because the units purchased have higher specifications and are fully operational.
Tlali dismissed claims that the mayor ignores residents during imbizos, saying community members will be given the opportunity to voice their concerns and receive immediate responses, with follow-up visits made where necessary.
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