Thabazimbi council suspends municipal manager over R52.9m tender dispute

By Thebe Mabanga

Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo has placed municipal manager Clement Letsoalo on precautionary suspension over alleged tender irregularities linked to a R52.9 million road construction project, according to council sources and municipal documents seen by Inside Metros.

The suspension was resolved during a special council sitting on Wednesday, where Letsoalo is understood to have resisted the move by refusing to recuse himself and threatening legal action.

Letsoalo, who was appointed in April last year, has faced mounting scrutiny during his tenure, which has been marked by a series of suspensions within the municipality that were at one stage reported to be costing the municipality about R1.2 million a month.

Earlier this week, Letsoalo approached the Polokwane High Court to challenge a previous attempt to dismiss him during a February 28 council sitting. The application was brought against former mayor Tumisang Pilane and former speaker Dingaan Sebata. Judgment