Executive Mayor Mehlomakhulu to be investigated over bursary scandal
Cogta Eastern Cape has recommended that the Executive Mayor of the Alfred Nzo District Municipality must be investigated and be subjected to disciplinary processes for allegedly misleading the council about his awarding bursary to his son. The informer published a story in April this year where documents pertaining to this matter were doing rounds on social media. The documents showed that the Alfred Nzo Municipality has awarded Mehhlomakhul’s son a bursary for his studies at Wits University. In an interview then Mehlomakhulu denied that he gave municipal bursary to his son but claimed that he paid the fees himself. He also sent documents as proof of payment. He also said that he has instructed that the municipality must demand a refund.
The internal investigation which was established in April found that Yanga Mehlomakhulu might be a close relative of Mehlomakhulu as he paid fees to the Wits University on January 27 of 2022 on behalf of Yanga Mehlomakhulu and the municipality has granted the same Yanga Mehlomakhulu a bursary from the Mayoral Education Intervention Fund.
According to a report seen by The Informer, Mehlomakhulu paid an amount of R61, 814, 00 to Wits University on behalf of Yanga Mehlomakhulu on January 27 of 2021. The municipality paid an amount of R65, 223, 00 to Wits University also on behalf of Yanga Mehlomakhulu. A month later, the municipality requested the refund of the money paid to Wits University to be paid in the bank account of Executive Mayor Mehlomakhulu.
During the investigation with the Executive Mayor, it was brought to attention that, Yanga Mehlomakhulu is indeed the Executive Mayors’ biological son. Mehlomakhulu however denied knowledge of his son being awarded a bursary by neither the municipality nor the news that the municipality requested a refund on his behalf as he was on special in all the events.
According to investigating council, the Executive Mayor might have grossly breached the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, scheduled 1 code of conduct for councillors’ paragraph 5(2) which states that ‘A councillor who, whose spouse, partner, business associate or close family member, acquired or stands to acquire any direct benefit from a contract concluded with the municipality, must disclose full particulars of the benefit of which the councillor is aware at the first meeting of the municipal council at which it is possible for the councillor to make the disclosure”…The Executive Mayor did not disclose to the council that his close relative Yanga Mehlomakhulu would benefit from the Mayoral Education Intervention Bursary Fund.
According to the report, the Executive Mayor may have breached the Municipal Finance Management Act: Section Act 52(a) which states that”The mayor of a municipality must provide general political guidance over the fiscal and financial affairs of the municipality and (b) in providing such general guidance. may monitor and, to the extent provided in this act, oversee the exercise of responsibilities assigned in terms of this Act to the accounting officer and the chief financial officer, but may not interfere in the exercise of those responsibilities.”
This follows the advice given by the Accounting officer to reject Yanga Mehlomakhulu’s bursary application.
MEC Spokesperson Makhaya Komisa confirmed that the department has completed the investigation about this issue but cannot comment further about its contents as it was supposed to have been taken to the Executive council first before it goes to the public.
