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 was reserved.

The latest suspension relates to a disputed road construction tender in Regorogile Extension 8. A recent oversight visit by the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) reportedly identified discrepancies and unaccounted-for expenditure linked to the project. The MPAC findings formed the basis of the suspension resolution.

During the same council meeting, concerns were also raised over approximately R15 million of a reported R40 million disaster relief allocation received by the municipality about a month ago. Councillors alleged the funds had already been spent without supporting documentation being provided.

The Regorogile tender has faced challenges since it was awarded in May 2025. The Auditor-General reportedly found that the contract did not comply with Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) standards.

The tender is also the subject of a complaint lodged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (Precca) by a whistleblower described as a “person of authority” under the legislation.

The complaint alleges that two contractors, Mes Major Projects and Avenir Civil Contractors, failed to comply with several tender requirements, including attendance of compulsory briefing sessions, tax compliance and submission of financial statements. The whistleblower further alleges the companies failed to disclose other directorships and misrepresented the status of key employees.

According to the allegations, the Bid Evaluation Committee awarded the bidders a score of 98 points instead of disqualifying them.

The project has also been plagued by stoppages and disruptions. Following a public notice issued by Letsoalo two weeks ago, the project was officially relaunched on Monday by mayor Andries Tshukudu.

Tshukudu and council speaker Daniel Mampeule were approached for comment and undertook to respond, but had not done so by publication.

Letsoalo is also facing other allegations contained in whistleblower statements, including claims that a transformer was procured at an inflated price, installation costs were paid externally and municipal workers were later used to carry out the installation.

His appointment has previously attracted controversy. In 2024, while serving as municipal manager at Kgetlengrivier Municipality in North West, Letsoalo was found to have increased his salary by R100,000 without council approval.

Before that, while serving as chief financial officer at Dipaleseng Municipality in Mpumalanga, a forensic investigation reportedly recommended further investigation into whether he benefited from an irregular payment of R51 million.

Letsoalo did not respond to questions sent by Inside Metros over the past two weeks.

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Two women, a 58-year-old company director and a 49-year-old financial adviser, have been arrested in Phalaborwa, Limpopo, in connection with alleged fraud, corruption, theft, and money laundering involving the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency (Sedfa) office in Tzaneen.

The arrests on Tuesday followed an investigation by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation unit after it received information about alleged financial misconduct at the agency.

The team obtained a search-and-seizure warrant, which was executed at the Sedfa offices on 24 April 2025, leading to the seizure of electronic devices and documents for further analysis as the investigation continued.

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Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the investigation found that an official had allegedly colluded with company directors by assisting with funding applications and, in return, received kickbacks of more than R800,000 from companies that were ultimately awarded funding.

Mogale told Inside Metros that the Hawks were exploring efforts to recover the money, but said it was “too early” to pre-empt what was going to happen.

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The suspects are expected to make their first appearance in the Tzaneen Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, on charges of fraud, corruption, theft and money laundering.

Limpopo Hawks provincial head Major General Gopz Govender said officials entrusted with public funds should know that the corruption investigation unit would ensure they were brought to book.

“The Hawks will leave no stone unturned, and further arrests are not being ruled out,” he said.

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Residents in Lenyenye outside Tzaneen in Limpopo’s Mopani District have called for tighter regulation of marriages between South Africans and foreign nationals, alleging that fraudulent unions are increasing and that poverty can make people vulnerable to “bogus marriages”.

The concerns were raised during public hearings on the draft Marriage Bill at the Lenyenye Community Hall this week, where residents proposed clearly defined timelines for marriage verification to give the Department of Home Affairs time to verify documents submitted by foreign nationals and to strengthen vetting processes.

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“Participants told the committee that many South African women succumb to the pressure of poverty and other negative socio-economic realities under which they live and end up in fraudulent marriages, often unaware of the legal implications. They believe that tighter legislative measures would help deal with this trend,” said Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs spokesperson, Malatswa Molepo.  

The committee is holding provincial hearings on the Marriage Bill in Limpopo from 2 to 5 February, the final leg of a nationwide public participation process.

The Limpopo programme began in Mopani District and is expected to conclude in Sekhukhune District, incorporating all three districts in the province, including Vhembe.

Committee chairperson Mosa Chabane said the hearings were intended to ensure the final Bill reflects public views, and encouraged residents to participate.

“The Marriage Bill seeks to repeal the existing three separate marriage laws and replace them with a single, inclusive statute that recognises all forms of marriage – civil, customary, and religious – regardless of sexual orientation, belief or cultural practice,” Mosa said.

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At the hearings, residents also expressed support for the designation of traditional leaders as marriage officers, he said, given their role in rural communities.

Residents called for closer collaboration between traditional leadership and the Department of Home Affairs to prevent duplication and “dual marriages” that could lead to legal disputes.

Molepo said residents proposed raising the minimum age of consent, saying that 18 years remained “too young” and that children should be protected and allowed space to focus on their studies before marrying.

“Strong views were expressed regarding same-sex marriages, with the majority of participants stating that such unions contradict their religious beliefs and cultural norms,” Molepo added.

“However, some participants opposed this view, arguing that same-sex marriages are protected under the Constitution and that all South Africans have the right to choose whom they love and marry.”

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Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane said preliminary assessments of recent flooding in Limpopo and Mpumalanga showed 3,750 homes had been damaged, warning that the toll could still rise as rain was forecast to continue into the weekend.

Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Wednesday, Simelane said 1942 houses had been affected in Limpopo and 1808 in Mpumalanga, and that alternative land had been identified in both provinces for temporary accommodation.

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“The department responded promptly by sending assessment teams to join both provinces from national to support their joint operation committees at the district level, [which helped us to arrive at the numbers]. But as you know, it is a moving target as it is still raining, and mud houses in particular are more affected.

“The weather conditions in Limpopo have made our work extremely difficult. Central to our work is providing the necessary intervention in the verification process and the prompt relocation of families and household. You cannot relocate people when water is not subsiding enough.”

Simelane said the disaster response was ongoing, with new reports of damage and fatalities still being recorded and verified.

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In Limpopo, the death toll had risen to 18, with six people still missing, she said.

She said government teams had been deployed to help households replace essential documents and to provide temporary accommodation, while accelerating assessments for permanent relocation where required.

Simelane said women and children would be prioritised for temporary housing, and that authorities intended to move displaced people from churches and community halls into accommodation.  

She said 73 households in Bushbuckridge had already been identified as needing accommodation, along with five in Bloomberg, 13 in Makhado and 39 in Mbaula.

The victims were being moved from mass-care centres and contractors would be erecting temporary housing units, she said.

The minister also spoke about the upcoming Innovative Building Technologies (IBT) summit, which is planned for 3 to 4 February in Johannesburg.

She said that the summit would explore and fast track the development of “dignified houses”.

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“The summit will examine how modular, prefabricated and rapid deployable housing systems can be used to respond to emergencies. This approach, we want it to support our commitment to ensuring that the disaster affected communities are not subjected to prolonged periods in unsafe and inadequate conditions,” said Simelane. 

“It will enable us to directly engage with IBT solutions and assess the sustainability for large scale development, ensuring that we engage in solutions and assess the suitability of large scale development.”

She said that housing delivery needs to contribute to economic transformation and inclusive growth, with particular emphasis on local production, enterprise development, skills transfer and job creation.

DHS Director-General Alec Moemi said the department was using drone technology to map informal settlements, adding it was at a “70% conclusion phase”, and warned that some settlements had been erected in hazardous areas, including places with dangerous water-flow patterns.

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Moemi said government needed to identify and prepare suitable land so settlements could be properly planned and laid out — including roads and public open spaces — before services were rolled out.

He added that better planning would also improve safety and security, especially in areas where people have settled in hazard-prone zones, such as natural water-flow paths.

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Limpopo’s department of education has told parents, teachers and schools in the flood-hit Vhembe and Mopani districts not to reopen schools on Wednesday, warning that heavy rains have created dangerous conditions and disrupted key services, including school meals and scholar transport.

The department said the rains and flooding had affected the delivery of food to schools and added that scholar transport vehicles could also face difficulties.

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“The Department wishes to inform parents, guardians and teachers in the affected two districts to take caution and not reopen schools [on Wednesday]. This is to ensure the safety of learners and educators within the affected areas,” the department said.

“The department will advise when it is suitable for schooling to resume in the affected areas.”

The warning came after heavy rains caused major disruptions across the two districts, with videos shared on social media showing water flowing above bridges and the destruction of gravel roads, leaving villagers stranded and unable to travel to the nearest towns.

The South African Weather Service has issued a level 9 warning for Wednesday, which the department said meant heavy rains were expected to persist into the weekend.

Citing heightened risks to younger children, especially those in the early grades, the department said it would closely monitor the situation and dispatch a disaster management team.

A concerned parent, Nsovo Ndlovu from Ngove outside Giyani, told Inside Education she was worried about the continuing downpours, saying they had dampened her young boy’s excitement about returning to school.

 He could not travel because of damaged roads and flooding, said Ndlovu.

Working in Giyani town as a hairdresser, Ndlovu said she had suffered significant income losses because she was unable to travel to work, and feared the ongoing rainfall would leave her financially stretched for the rest of January.

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“It is quite sad, the timing of this rain is off. This week with many people going back to work and students back to school, hairdressers stood to make a substantial income, but we have missed on all that because of this rain,” she said.

“A lot of preparations had gone into making sure that the reopening of schools was special for my son, with a new uniform for a new grade. He was going to rekindle with friends he last saw last year, but now he has to wait a much longer. He is also disappointed. But hopefully this rain stops soon and our lives back to normal.”

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The Polokwane Magistrates’ Court has denied bail to popular Limpopo musician Lehlogonolo Katlego Chauke (30), known as Shebe Maburna, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said on Wednesday evening.

“Chauke faces multiple charges, including three counts of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, malicious damage to property, discharge of a firearm, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and possession of unlicensed ammunition,” NPA regional spokesperson Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi said.

Dzhangi said the charges stemmed from an incident that allegedly occurred on 19 October 2025 along Witklip Street, Ladanna, Polokwane, when the complainant and a friend were driving in the area and encountered the accused, greeting him as fans.

“The accused allegedly responded by saying, ‘Kgane a letlale ka nna?’ meaning ‘Are you not proud of me?’ before firing a shot in their direction,” Dzhangi said.

“The complainant sustained gunshot injuries, and a vehicle belonging to the witness was damaged,” Dzhangi said.

The injured complainant was immediately transported to Polokwane Provincial Hospital, where he remains hospitalised.

Chauke was arrested on 12 November 2025.

Investigations also revealed Chauke is linked to additional cases reported in other policing areas, Dzhangi said.

“These matters were consolidated, resulting in the accused facing nine charges.”

At the bail hearing, Chauke elected to submit an affidavit instead of testifying orally, while the State led evidence through the investigating officer, Dzhangi said.

“The investigating officer testified that the accused has a propensity to commit further offences,” Dzhangi said.

He said that Chauke is also facing charges in the Lebowakgomo, Seshego and Mankweng Magistrates’ Courts, including “two counts of attempted murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and malicious damage to property”.

Dzhangi said that Chauke has a pending trial in the Lebowakgomo Magistrates’ Court, scheduled for 17 February, and that some of the offences were allegedly committed while he was out on bail under conditions prohibiting further criminal conduct.

“The court denied bail after the State opposed the application,” Dzhangi said, as Chauke was likely to commit further offences, failed to prove exceptional circumstances as required under Schedule 6, and that his release would undermine the criminal justice system.

Chauke was remanded in custody and the matter postponed to 18 February.

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Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba on Tuesday welcomed 140 new recruits to the provincial Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure, saying their appointment was critical to the province’s infrastructure drive and efforts to cut unemployment.

“As you settle into your roles, I encourage you to acclimatise yourselves fully to the operations, culture, and expectations of the department. Embrace a spirit of learning. Build relationships and serve the communities you represent as they are your greatest motivation,” she told the group.  

The new hires, welcomed at Jack Botes Hall in Polokwane, form the fourth cohort of officials employed under the department’s recruitment programme.

According to the province, the latest intake brings the total number of permanently employed recruits in the initiative to 590.

“These achievements reflect a department that is not only functional, but forward-looking, responsive, and committed to strengthening the machinery of government. This confirms that our investments in infrastructure, maintenance, road construction, and service delivery are changing lives while simultaneously contributing to the country’s economic recovery,” Ramathuba said.

She linked the appointments to Limpopo’s recent labour-market gains.

Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the province’s official unemployment rate fell by 5.2 percentage points, from 35.0% in the second quarter of 2025 to 29.8% in the third quarter – the biggest improvement of any province.

Provincial officials have said that public works and construction projects in Limpopo have been among the main contributors to recent job creation, including Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) opportunities.

Earlier this year, Finance MEC Kgabo Mahoai said Limpopo would spend a total of R21.617 billion on infrastructure over the next three years, with a significant share allocated to the Department of Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure and its roads agency.

However, opposition parties have warned that budget shifts inside the portfolio could undermine long-term road upgrades. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has raised the alarm over Roads Agency Limpopo’s budget being cut from R2.8 billion in 2024/25 to R958.617 million in 2025/26, while compensation of employees continues to increase.

In a September statement, DA provincial spokesperson for public works, roads and infrastructure Marie Helm said the administration budget for the department had increased from R458.878 million in 2024/25 to R638.852 million in 2025/26, while allocations to “critical programmes” barely grew.

She said this risked weaker project delivery and more unmaintained roads.

Ramathuba on Tuesday told the new officials to help reverse those perceptions by embracing the department’s internal performance campaigns and outreach drives — including #OperationTsogaMoshomi, #DikgerekgereWednesdays, Operation Vhuisa Thundu ya Muvhuso, #StakeholderTuesdays and intensified project monitoring — which are aimed at tightening discipline, improving road maintenance and strengthening community engagement.

She told the recruits that the province’s development ambitions would depend on their conduct and professionalism.

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The eThekwini Municipality said this week that the city is expecting about 1.3 million visitors over the upcoming summer holiday period, and quelled fears about water quality at several of its popular beaches.

The municipality’s tourism agency, Durban Tourism, launched a national roadshow to showcase Durban’s beaches and cultural and holiday attractions.

The campaign kicked off in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces with “vibrant activations” at Middleburg, Nelspruit’s Riverside Mall, and Polokwane’s Mall of the North.

But the drive comes amid ongoing concerns about the municipality’s long-standing sewage-management crisis, which has seen recurring sewage spills, elevated E. coli levels and intermittent beach closures along the coastline.

Earlier this week, the city issued a statement about a website that falsely claimed the majority of Durban beaches had been “red-flagged” because of dangerous levels of E. coli and high incidents of crime.

The municipality said the allegations were “false, unfounded and not supported by any credible data”. The “misinformation”, according to the city, was damaging to the reputation of the metro and discouraged tourism. The city issued a notice to the hosting company and website, saying it would take legal action if its notice was not complied with.

eThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana told Inside Metros that eThekwini conducts bi-weekly water quality testing at its beaches, and those results “will determine whether the water at any of our beaches meets the required safety standards for public use”.

“When results indicate that bacteria levels exceed safe limits, precautionary beach closures are implemented immediately to safeguard public health,” she said.

“Updated beach status reports are published on the city’s website and shared through official social media platforms to ensure transparency and timely communication with residents, tourists, and businesses.”

Sisilana also said that the municipality is working closely with UMngeni-uThukela Water and the Water Services Directorate “to manage and improve sewerage and water infrastructure, and to respond swiftly to any pollution incidents that may arise”.

“The city remains committed to maintaining Durban’s beaches as a key tourism and economic asset, particularly ahead of the festive season,” she said, and would continue prioritising the protection and maintenance of beaches.

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The Special Tribunal has ordered construction company Easyway Tarmac Pave and Projects CC to repay nearly R69 million to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) after its R167.9 million contract with Mogalakwena Local Municipality in Limpopo was declared unlawful and invalid.

The tribunal found that Easyway fraudulently misrepresented its contractor grading and past projects, misleading the municipality into awarding it a tender in February 2018 for borehole development, reservoirs, and bulk gravity pipelines.

According to the SIU’s evidence, Easyway claimed to have completed three projects worth over R50 million each, but affidavits from municipal managers proved the claims false.

In one case, the company inflated a project’s value from R6.1 million to R50.8 million; in another, it claimed a project that never existed.

The SIU argued, and the Tribunal agreed, that Easyway would not have met the minimum qualifying score without these lies.

In addition, its contractor grading legally barred it from a contract of this scale, which was 29% above its allowable threshold.

Judge Brian Mashile, delivering the ruling, noted the community had been disadvantaged when the project was halted

“The award should not have been made in the first place, and no contract should have been concluded between the Municipality and Easyway. By committing the fraud, Easyway has made its bed and must lie in it,” said Mashile.

The tribunal ordered Easyway to repay R68,866,908.88 plus interest — the total amount it had received — and cover the SIU’s legal costs.

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