Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) in Limpopo has rubbished allegations it irregularly spent more than R70 000 to replace a “missing” mayoral chain.
Municipality spokesperson Jabu Masondo said it never owned a mayoral chain but had to borrow it since the inauguration events of the three previous mayors – Lawrence Mapoulo, Gilbert Kganyago and John Mpe.
“All former executive mayors were inaugurated using a borrowed chain from our local municipalities. CDM simply put its logo sticker on the chain pendant for the purpose of [the] inauguration and removed it when the chain was returned.”
Masondo added the municipality could no longer depend on borrowed chains as this would be inconvenient if the mayors in the district had a joint event where mayoral chains were necessary.
“This became clear when the MEC for COGHSTA [Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs] recently held a re-affirmation and congratulatory ceremony for all mayors in the district at the same time. Luckily, all of them had their mayoral chains on as no one borrowed or lent a chain,” he said.
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The matter was raised by the DA, which claimed the new mayor, Mamedupi Teffo, donned the new mayoral chain during her inauguration in November last year.
The chain was only paid for seven months later.
Councillor Androe Botha, said: “The new chain was paid for [seven months later] from the communications’ budget, despite MFMA [Municipal Finance Management Act] regulations stating that payments of money due by a municipality must be paid within 30 days.”
Botha added the party enquired during a finance portfolio committee meeting about the whereabouts of the previous mayoral chain, and “apparently the previous chain is missing”.
Though Masondo insisted the municipality responded to the DA’s questions, Botha told News24 the municipality had so far failed to provide answers, but the matter might be raised at the council meeting at the end of this month.
Masondo said the new mayoral chain was nine carats, which is “the lowest, cheapest category for municipalities at levels 3 and 4”.
Last year, a mayoral chain in excess of R20 million was reported missing in the Matjhabeng Municipality in Welkom, the Free State.
In 2016, the chain at the Tshwane Municipality also allegedly went missing, but it was later revealed the municipality had to borrow one whenever there were events.
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