The return of a senior official to a struggling North West municipality is viewed dimly by those who have followed his beleaguered career.
The municipality in question is one of the 12 in the North West province that have been affected by the temporary withholding of the equitable share transfers “to instil fiscal discipline and ensure that public money is properly managed” , a drastic measure applied to 69 municipalities countrywide by Treasury.
Among other municipalities in the province affected by the sanction from Treasury are Madibeng, Ditsobotla, Tswaing, Naledi, City of Matlosana, Maquassi Hills and JB Marks.
Against this backdrop, Frans Mabokela’s appointment as the acting municipal manager is seen as a factional move to strengthen the “N12” clique, which the current ANC provincial chairperson, Nono Maloyi, leads. The faction is expected to defend its leadership position at the ANC North West provincial conference in August.
Mabokela replaces Dr Johannes Mothupi, who had been roped in as “Mr Fix-It” following the precautionary suspension of Olehile Allan Losaba on 5 December 2025.
Mabokela’s secondment to struggling municipalities is not new. He was appointed last year at Mamusa Local Municipality, where he was blamed for the non-payment of workers’ salaries. Before that, in 2022, he was seconded as the municipal manager to both Rustenburg and Ramotshere Moiloa local municipalities.
Losaba’s precautionary suspension came after the Auditor-General (AG) issued a historic Certificate of Debt, holding him personally liable for R4.62 million in irregular expenditure. The certificate was issued because he failed to implement the AG’s recommendations. The damning report recommended that Losaba, as the accounting officer, take appropriate measures to recover municipal funds from service providers who had unduly benefited, while also taking action against implicated senior managers.
According to a source within the municipal council, Dr Mothupi had been brought in specifically to deal with corruption that allegedly flourished under Losaba’s leadership.
“Dr Johannes Mothupi was brought in to deal with the corruption that took place on Losaba’s watch. He got rid of them. They came back through the courts; hence, they are still holding the fort. He also opened criminal cases against senior managers who are implicated in having contravened tender processes,” the source said.
The source further alleged that Mabokela’s appointment was politically motivated rather than aimed at stabilising the municipality.
“N12 is now stronger and they are likely to win the conference. The Troika (mayor, speaker and chief whip) is aligned to Nono Maloyi. The decision to bring Mabokela has to do with the upcoming conference rather than stabilising the municipality. There has been chaos every time the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) report has had to be adopted by the council. It is clear that those who are implicated in the municipality's corruption are being protected by those with prime political power,” the source said.
However, the municipality’s spokesperson, Lehlogonolo March, dismissed the allegations, describing the appointment as a normal government process.
“It is important to clarify that Dr Mothupi was not dismissed. His secondment simply came to an end. In terms of the applicable legislative framework, an acting appointment is ordinarily limited to three months. He served in the acting capacity for six months. It remained the prerogative of the provincial government to either extend his secondment or replace him,” March said.
March added that Mabokela would be responsible for taking forward the implementation of the council’s resolutions and recommendations arising from an investigation conducted by Modiboa Attorneys Inc, which was concluded at the beginning of April 2026.
However, Dr Mothupi’s appointment letter appears to suggest that his secondment was intended to continue until the disciplinary process against Losaba had been finalised.
“You are hereby notified that you are seconded to act as the municipal manager of Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality with effect from the date on which the council shall have decided until the finalisation of the disciplinary processes of the substantive municipal manager and/or is withdrawn by the MEC,” the letter reads.
The recent 270-page investigation report details how the Auditor-General made numerous attempts to persuade Losaba to implement the AG’s recommendations before ultimately taking action against him for failing to hold senior managers and service providers accountable.
The report, compiled by the Klerksdorp-based law firm Modiboa Attorney Inc and handed over to the municipality in April 2026, found that several senior managers, including Mohammed Rassol, Abraham Senwedi and Kgosi Bonokwane, had been implicated.
In the statement issued on Wednesday, National Treasury said: “Some of the municipalities have failed to process Irregular, Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure (UIFWE) as requested by section 32 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA). Section 32 of the MFMA provides that a municipal council must recover UIFWE from the persons liable therefore unless, after investigation by a council committee, the expenditure is certified as being irrecoverable and written off. The council committee referred to in section 32 is the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC).
“Some of the municipalities failed to properly deal with UIFWE as the MFMA requires municipalities to investigate such expenditure, determine accountability, recover losses where appropriate and take corrective action. National Treasury has found that many municipalities have not processed UIFWE cases through their MPACs which are responsible for overseeing accountability in some municipalities. This means that MPACs are not functioning effectively.”
Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, which includes Mahikeng, Zeerust and Lichtenburg, has experienced persistent service delivery backlogs, particularly in water distribution and the maintenance of sewerage infrastructure. Over the years, the municipality has been the subject of several reports by the Auditor-General and the SIU, in addition to two internal investigation reports commissioned by the municipality.