By Thapelo Molefe
Build One South Africa (BOSA) has laid criminal charges against the Greater Letaba Municipality in Limpopo following the alleged theft of R1.2 million in public funds by officials in the municipality’s licensing department.
BOSA Limpopo provincial representative Ngako Setjie confirmed on Thursday that the case was officially opened at the Modjadjiskloof Police Station.
He added that the party would also report the matter to the Ad Hoc Committee on Appropriations in the National Assembly, calling for urgent parliamentary oversight and intervention.
The stolen funds were allegedly siphoned off between November 2021 and March 2023 from the Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) and never deposited into the municipality’s bank account.
According to BOSA, the theft constituted a clear violation of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which required municipalities to promptly bank all received revenue.
“However, in this case, municipal officials wilfully violated this directive, choosing instead to unlawfully enrich themselves,” said BOSA Limpopo leader Timothy Maluleke.
In a statement, Maluleke accused the municipality of enabling corruption and attempting to cover it up.
“This incident is not just about missing money, it represents the deepening rot in local governance, where criminality is met with silence and mismanagement is rewarded,” said Maluleke.
BOSA alleges that several officials implicated in the theft resigned before internal investigations were completed and were allowed to access their pension pay-outs. Others, who were suspended, have reportedly been reinstated.
Maluleke said this raised serious questions about the complicity of the municipal leadership in enabling corruption.
“Why would the municipal manager allow officials to walk away with full benefits without consequences?” he questioned.
The party is demanding the immediate prosecution of all implicated individuals, recovery of the stolen funds, the suspension of the municipal manager, a full financial audit of the municipality and protection for whistleblowers.
“This money could have gone a long way in improving basic service delivery in Greater Letaba, from fixing potholes to providing clean water and supporting clinics,” Maluleke said.
“Instead, it was stolen with impunity.
“We refuse to accept a municipality where corruption is normalised, and where public funds are treated like personal wallets by officials. This is taxpayers’ money, money that belongs to the people of Greater Letaba.”
The party has vowed to pursue the matter until the stolen funds are recovered and those responsible are prosecuted.
“We will not rest until every cent is accounted for, every guilty official is behind bars, and the community receives the services they have long been denied,” the party said.
“Enough is enough. It’s time for real accountability, not lip service.”
The municipality told Inside Metros that it had commissioned an investigation into the matter.
“It will be premature to comment on it until the investigation is concluded and the matter has (been discussed) in the council,” said spokesperson Lovers Maenetje.
INSIDE METROS