ALFRED NZO DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY MANAGER HANDED HIMSELF OVER TO THE SAPS FOR CONTRAVENING MUNICIPAL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ACT
The Alfred Nzo District Municipality Manager, Zamile Skhundla, handed himself to the South African Police Service on Monday amid request by the Special Investigations Unit.
Skhundla who has just signed a new five year contract with the same municipality is being indicted for an alleged contravention in terms of section 173 of Municipal Finance Management Act.
The charges are related to procurement of water project at ward 7 in Matatiele which according to SIU could not be completed but more than R200M was paid to the service provider.
It is therefore said that Skhundla failed as an Accounting Officer to take all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wastefull expendituere. According to reports the ward 7 water projects was initially quoted at R186M but it ended up costing the municipality more than R200M.
In 2017 former president Jacob Zuma signed a proclamation for SIU to investigate certain contracts relating to procurement of services by the Municipality. The investigation led to the arrest of high ranking officials in the municipality that include the CFO, Infrastructure Manager and SCM Officer and others.
In a statement head of Communications in the Municipality, Lixolile Petela, confirmed that Sikhundla handed himself to police after the SIU requested him to do so. He said he is currently out on bail and will reappear before the eMaxesibeni court on the 30th November 2022.
Petela said it must be noted that since the beginning of the year 2017 Proclamation by the, then President, JG Zuma, that certain contracts relating to procurement of services by the Municipality, both the Municipal Manager and the Municipality have been complying fully with the investigation and have provided authorities with all the information as requested.
“The Municipality and Mr Zamile Sikhundla himself, harbours a strong belief that there has been no wrongdoing on his part as it relates to the matter at hand. However we respect the rule of law and will continue to subject any official to any investigation when it is deemed necessary by any authority”.
“We are however concerned on the length of the investigation which has been there since 2017 with previous arrests of former CFO, former IDMS Manager and former SCM personnel, relating to this matter and to this day there has never been any conviction or conclusive evidence of any wrongdoing”.
“We will continue to cooperate with any investigation on any matter in order to ensure transparency, accountability and good governance by the Municipality”, he concluded.
