Corruption in EPWP at Mopani district municipality: “We will also not hesitate to open criminal charges …”

THE Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Mopani district municipality’s council in Limpopo has called for drastic action against officials implicated in the mismanagement of the Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP).

This follows the findings of the audit committee which revealed a litany of corruption that include a substantial deviation from the allocated budget that may result in unauthorized expenditure.

The committee found that 117 of the 674 EPWP workers could not be verified, resigned workers continued to receive monthly stipends from August 2023 to February 2024 and that the total budget of R16, 388, 841 was overspent.

Some workers exceeded the 24-monnth program contract limit within any five year cycle while others had no contracts.

DA’s Mahlatswa Ramalepe said the findings have exposed in the municipality ineffective and inadequate internal controls, poor management and a lack of good governance.

“The DA calls on the mayor to study the audit findings and urgently report to council with a time-bound consequence management strategy for all implicated officials to mitigate the extent of the alleged rampant maladministration,” Ramalepe said.

Municipality spokesperson, Odas Ngobeni, has confirmed there were unverified workers, but the number has since decreased to 84 from the 117 reported in July. The stipends to unverified workers have since been stopped.

“We will of course implement consequence management where we have to. We may also have to bring the Financial Misconduct Board, but that will obviously be determined by the outcomes and report from the team which is already seized with the matter.

“We will also not hesitate to open criminal charges where we find foul play, Ngobeni said.