Allegations of nepotism, stalled investigations and ignored audit findings have deepened frustration among councillors and residents.
Community members and a number of fed-up ANC councillors yesterday protested at the Madibeng local municipality demanding service delivery for their ward communities who they claimed were being discriminated against on access to municipal resources.
Residents of rural areas such as Maboloka, Madidi and Jericho have been without water for over a fortnight.
Protest over water shortages forces municipal office closure
The protest forced the municipality to close its office in Brits on Monday morning as the action threatened to spill over into the building.
The councillors claimed they embarked on the action with their communities because since they were elected in 2021, they had not received a single project to show to their constituencies as part of their service delivery initiative to the people.
They claim only councillors aligned with mayor Douglas Maimane are offered resources to take to their voters.
“This must stop. As councillors we are the same, we should be treated equally regardless of which wards we represent. We were elected to bring services to the people,” one councillor said on condition of anonymity.
The protesting ANC councillors accused the mayor of being behind the ongoing instability in the municipality.
Maimane has been accused of nepotism, making illegal and unprocedural appointments of senior officials, appointment of contractors without abiding with supply chain processes and failing to table investigative reports with the local council.
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Investigation reports and appointments raise governance concerns
A report following an investigation by a law firm initiated by the cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC in July 2025 has been stalled because Maimane allegedly postponed a meeting where the MEC was expected to brief the council about its findings.
The report allegedly implicates the mayor in the unlawful appointment of officials and nepotism in his office.
The department also flagged municipal manager Quiet Kgatla’s appointment as irregular, but he is still in office because he is allegedly being protected by the mayor.
The council was expected to sit and discuss action to be taken against Maimane, who is also being probed by the public protector on nepotism.
The aggrieved councillors said all adverse reports emanating from the auditor-general were ignored, instead of the shortcomings being addressed.
Allegations of corruption and retaliation against employees
They opposed the recent restructuring of the municipality’s HR processes, alleging that the move was a way to allow nepotism and favouritism in job appointments.
“The recent permanent appointment of the mayor’s child and a cousin, despite the fact that their appointments are subject of a public protector investigation, is a case in point,” a councillor said.
“The municipality is appointing law firms which it uses to dismiss competent employees for refusing to conform to corruption.”
Councillors claim cases of certain employees found guilty of misconduct are not acted upon because there is no consequence management.
Employees were also being targeted and dismissed for allegedly not cooperating in acts of corruption.
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