, after Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke issued the country’s first-ever Certificate of Debt against a senior municipal official.){kind=link}
By Palesa Nguqu
A landmark development in South Africa’s efforts to clamp down on municipal corruption has been warmly welcomed by the Democratic Alliance (DA), after Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke issued the country’s first-ever Certificate of Debt against a senior municipal official.
The certificate, announced on 15 November 2025, holds Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality manager Allan Losaba personally liable for R4.6 million in irregular expenditure.
The move follows an audit that uncovered inflated water-tanker tenders and long-standing financial discrepancies that Losaba failed to address despite repeated warnings, remedial directives, and statutory obligations to act.
For the DA, the Auditor-General’s unprecedented action marks a decisive turning point in enforcing accountability within North West municipalities.
DA spokesperson on the Provincial Public Accounts Committee, Freddy Sonakile, said the AG’s intervention is a historic and necessary step forward in restoring integrity to local governance.
Sonakile, who serves on the Legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), emphasised that the Certificate of Debt represents not only a breakthrough in the use of the Public Audit Act’s enforcement powers but also a clear repudiation of years of impunity.
“As a Member of the Legislature sitting on SCOPA, my role is to ensure that every step outlined in both the Public Audit Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act is followed meticulously,” he said.
He stressed that Mayor Khumalo Molefe now carries explicit legal responsibilities: to enforce repayment, to initiate disciplinary proceedings, and to report progress to both the Auditor-General and the Legislature.
Sonakile noted that the law is unequivocal, calling on the mayor to ensure the debt is recovered, and the municipal council to act decisively under Sections 171 and 172 of the MFMA to address financial misconduct.
Sonakile confirmed he would closely track the implementation of these processes.
He said he would request the chair of SCOPA to monitor enforcement and ensure that no political interference hinders disciplinary action, adding that the certificate underscores a new era of personal accountability.
The DA also connected the AG’s action to broader patterns of dysfunction in North West municipalities.
Sonakile pointed to the recent Special Task Force raid on the municipality as evidence of systemic wrongdoing that has flourished for years.
The party has formally called on Mayor Molefe to comply with the Public Audit Act by ensuring that Losaba’s repayment is enforced immediately and that disciplinary proceedings commence without delay.
Any failure to act, the DA warns, would itself constitute a breach of the law.
For the DA, the significance of the Auditor-General’s historic certificate extends well beyond a single case.
It establishes a powerful precedent for municipalities across South Africa, demonstrating that personal liability for financial mismanagement is no longer theoretical but enforceable.
The DA reaffirmed its commitment to rigorous oversight, continued exposure of irregularities and sustained pressure on municipalities to adopt and implement stronger safeguards against corruption.
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