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The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in Limpopo Province cautiously welcomes the arrests of two people who were linked to the killing of comrades (TT) Timson Musetsho and Cde Ronald Mani in addition to the other suspect arrested in the last two years who is also linked to the same crime who appeared in court earlier this month.

This happened hot on the heels of a damning report by the public protector released earlier this month which vindicated Samwu after it was labelled counter revolutionary for raising an issue of illegal appointment of staff at the Vhembe district municipality where the municipal manager instructed panellists to appoint his own preferred candidates in violation of recruitment and selection policy of the Vhembe district municipality.  

The report of the public protector declared the illegal appointment of Ms Tshikororo and Ms Ramabannda as irregular expenditure and instructed the Executive mayor as well as the Municipal Manager to both table a report to council about how this irregular expenditure would be dealt with and the municipal manger to implement consequence management against those who were party to this irregular expenditure.

Samwu will continue to monitor implementation of the remedial actions of the public protector taken against the Vhembe district municipality and campaign for clean administration in the municipality irrespective of the incumbent Mayor and Municipal Manager.

Samwu will continue to mobilise in remembrance of Cde Timson Tshilililo and Cde Ronald Mani and all other comrades who lost their lives for speaking out against corruption particularly the VBS illegal investment of municipal finances primarily in violation of MFMA and secondarily in violation of written directive from the National Treasury advising against it.

Samwu still demands that all Municipal Leaders (Mayors and PMT’s) and officials that participated in this VBS daylight heist of magnanimous proportions be hounded out and arrested. We further wish to put it on record that where there were council resolutions to invest, rollcall be extracted and those who voted for investments be held collectively liable for repayment of monies to society and be disbarred from holding public office. 

Issued by SAMWU