Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in Limpopo MEC Tonny Rachoene.
MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in Limpopo
Nemeses of Tonny Rachoene, MEC for Public Works, Roads and Infrastructure in Limpopo who were using Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) as a cash cow with over commitment of R1.3 billion on projects ate a humble pie.
RAL under the leadership of consummate leader MEC Rachoene has embarked on pursuing other interventions towards rebuilding the organisation and this includes conducting investigations of alleged maladministration activities.
This follows the dismissal of the RAL Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Maluleke who was appointed during the tenure of former Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha and his crony Matome Ralebipi, former chairperson of the RAL board of directors. RAL’s Accounting Authority Moses Tsedi briefed MEC Rachoene about RAL’s decision to dismiss Maluleke, with immediate effect after a disciplinary hearing found him guilty.
The termination of the employment of Maluleke follows his suspension on 30th of August 2024 after he was preferred with charges related to dishonesty, financial misconduct, negligence and the contravention of certain sections of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) among others. The disciplinary hearing was held on November, 20th, 2024 where its Chairperson found Maluleke guilty on all charges.
RAL appointed companies to construct roads despite the fact that the agency did not have the money to pay between the 2021/24 financial years. Such conduct gave birth to irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure amounting to R6.9 billion. Reportedly Limpopo has a total of 21000 road networks and about 7000 of them are either paved or tarred, while 13000 are gravel.
Maluleke was dismissed despite that on 25 September, he filed an urgent application in the Polokwane High Court, challenging the legality of the board’s dissolution and his suspension. He claimed that his suspension violated the Limpopo Province Roads Agency Proprietary Limited and Provincial Roads Act.
MEC Rachoene has welcomed the decision, saying that consequence management is one of the positive steps towards fixing Roads Agency Limpopo which overcommitted R1.3 billion on projects.
“We have committed to the people of Limpopo that the government of the seventh administration will deliver services to improve the economy and the lives of our people. I therefore support all efforts towards focusing on the mandate that the people gave us and not distractions from anyone who seeks to derail the goal of government,” said MEC Rachoene.
Meanwhile, The Azanian can confirm that crooked forces of gloom politicians have been gunning for MEC Rachoene because he refused to be remote controlled to milk the Limpopo state purse in the name of counterrevolutionary entitlement tendencies.
ANC senior members who opted to remain anonymous confirmed to The Azanian that certain journalists are being used to execute their mission to depict a bad picture about Rachoene’s administration because he refused to be part of their corrupt faction which has an ambition to continue to advance their unorthodox selfish interests at Public Works, Roads, and Infrastructure Department and RAL which was used as a cash cow.
They have called for President Cyril Ramaphosa who was recently exonerated for his Phalaphala gate saga for intervention because the current dynamics over Public Works, Roads, and Infrastructure and RAL might give birth to calamity which has already embarrassed the ANC in Limpopo because of the so called “ANC Limpopo Untouchable Mafias and VBS Brigades” which is terrorizing the new administration led first female Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba.
“There’s a need for President Ramaphosa to intervene because people are being subjected to trepidation and unorthodox trends. Sooner or later will experience desperate power mongers, corrupt politicians being so vulnerable that they attempt to kill our comrades because they are refusing to dance to their corrupt political tunes to loot the state purse. They are using certain brown envelope journalists to pursue their agendas. Please comrade President Ramaphosa kindly defuse them before Limpopo becomes a banana killing terrain in the name of entitlement syndrome tendencies,” ANC senior members said.
Rachoene’s sin was to disband RAL board of directors which was appointed by allies of former Limpopo Premier Mathabatha which was then led by his controversial crony and political Chihuahua Ralebipi.
He is also targeted for adhering to Mathabatha’s successor first female Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba’s call for clean governance after saying that he will not tolerate laziness, entitlement and corruption under his administration when delivering his department’s 2024/2025 Vote 09 Budget Speech at the Limpopo Legislature on Thursday morning.
Rachoene expressed his disgust over Road Agency Limpopo (RAL) which milked the State purse without accelerating and delivering on its mandate under the leadership of its former board chairperson Matome Ralebipi which RAL had an over commitment of projects of about R355 million. Rachoene committed to establish a new board which consist of consummate leaders and professionals who will revitalise RAL and not pursue egocentricities tendencies.
“As the shareholder of the roads implementing agency of the Department, RAL, I have used the opportunity of my first days in office, to look at the work done and related expenditures. It was a grave concern to me, to find that RAL had an over commitment of projects of about R355 million, which might even be underestimated. This could be a classic case of committing projects linked to budget that we do not necessarily have and the problem with this act is that it gives the public the impression that government, or this department has “stolen” monies meant for the upgrades of roads, thereby tarnishing the image of the province and its leadership. To this effect, we are in the process of setting up a new board for the purpose of taking the work done by RAL forward. We will be putting out an advert to recruit interested and reputable individuals to apply for consideration for appointment, as we work towards establishing a new board of directors for the entity,” said MEC Rachoene of Dikgerekgere Wednesday Revolution.
According to the ANC senior officials, the elephant in the room is the VBS Mutual Bank scandal which has exposed that the ANC in Limpopo was found sleeping when money looted was used to pursue narcissism kleptomaniac tendencies which hurt the communities which included pensioners who lost their hard-earned investments and savings.
They expressed their disappointment that some corrupt activities happened during the tenure of former Limpopo Premier Mathabatha.
The ANC sources said Mathabatha of ambhubezi fame didn’t reprimand his ally Danny Msiza the former ANC provincial treasurer who has been entangled in the VBS saga. SACP PEC earlier said Mathabatha is a factory fault who failed to rebuke his political bishop Msiza who is still fighting to clear his name in court
“They are plotting against comrade Phophi because she doesn’t bow to them. She has made it very clear that it will be disingenuous to be remote controlled by some corrupt politicians who have destroyed Limpopo. They are also targeting comrade Tonny because he is a consummate leader who is equal to the task," ANC leaders said.
"They are jealous of him because he is a disciplined ANCYL leader who is a force to be reckoned with. Some of our comrades have looted VBS. Comrade Mathabatha has failed us and we are happy that he is no longer the Premier. He failed to stop corruption in Limpopo. We put it to you that the rot was too deep in Limpopo and the province was ailing under his leadership."
The Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Chupu last year perplexed the ANC members in Limpopo by supporting President Cyril Ramaphosa rival disgraced former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize during the ANC national elective conference.
Mkhize lost to Ramaphosa who walloped him with 2 476 votes after receiving 1887 votes. Mathabatha lost to national chairperson Gwede Mantashe after he defied the Limpopo mandate by chanting the “Amabubezi” slogan. Some ANC PEC members labelled Mathabatha a sell-out who is remote controlled by former President Jacob Zuma and his allies.
RAL Chief Executive Officer Gabriel Maluleke dismissed after he was found guilty of charges related to dishonesty, financial misconduct, negligence and the contravention of certain sections of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) among others.
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