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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo welcomes the arrests by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (HAWKS) of the former Municipal Manager and former Chief Financial Officer of Fetagomo Greater Tubatse Municipality (FGTM) as well as a business man yesterday.

This follows after FGTM invested R230 million with VBS Bank during the tenure of the 2 officials. They will be charged with contravening the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) through fraud and money laundering.

This has put severe strain on the municipality’s ability to deliver services to communities. The basic service delivery and infrastructure development and the local economic development objectives of the municipality can still not fully be met due to the lack of funds.

The DA was therefore appalled to learn that the Municipal Manager, who is appearing in the Special Commercial Crimes court in Pretoria today, is currently the Administrator of the North West Department of Education since they were placed under Section 100 administration in 2018. It is clear that the ANC merely shifts dodgy caders to other provinces to keep them on the pay roll.

Eleven Limpopo municipalities illegally invested almost R2 billion into the controversial Venda Building Society (VBS) Mutual Bank between 2016 and 2018 and it is common cause that the MFMA was contravened in every deposit made to the VBS Bank.

The DA is therefore looking forward to more arrests and will not rest until all those implicated are brought to book.

Issued by Acting DA Provincial Spokesperson for COGHSTA, Risham Maharaj MPL