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The DA is preparing to lay criminal charges against 10 municipal managers it has labelled the country’s “terrible 10”, accusing them of presiding over years of financial mismanagement, weak controls and failures in basic service delivery.DA parliamentary leader George Michalakis and co-operative governance & traditional affairs (Cogta) spokesperson Marina van Zyl announced the planned charges at a media briefing on Thursday, saying the officials have been identified through adverse auditor-general findings and repeated failures to comply with financial accountability requirements.Michalakis said the DA will pursue charges under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), arguing that municipal managers should not be “recycled” into new positions after overseeing the deterioration of municipalities.“If you are from one of these municipalities and you do not have water, streetlights, or a working sewage system, these are the faces” responsible for the failures, Michalakis said.Van Zyl said the charges will be pursued under section 173(1) of the MFMA, which provides for criminal consequences if municipal managers are grossly negligent, ignore material irregularities or provide false information to the auditor-general.“They have the power to make or break a municipality. And yet, when they do wrong, consequences rarely follow,” she said.The DA’s list covers municipalities in the Eastern Cape, Free State, North West and the Western Cape.Among those targeted is Pumulele Maxwell Kate of Makana local municipality in the Eastern Cape, which the DA said has received seven consecutive disclaimer audit opinions. The party accused the municipality of failing to address financial mismanagement, weak expenditure controls and material irregularities involving wastewater and landfill sites.Sunday’s River Valley municipal manager Thabiso Klaas was also singled out after seven consecutive disclaimer audits. The DA accused him of failing to provide the auditor-general with documents on corrective measures and presiding over deteriorating revenue controls and landfill management.In the Free State, the DA targeted municipal managers in Masilonyana, Nketoana and Maluti-a-Phofung.Michalakis said Masilonyana has received disclaimer audit opinions for a decade and accused municipal manager Majalefa Matlole of failing to budget adequately for indigent households despite the municipality receiving R111m in equitable-share funding.He said only R31m has been budgeted to serve more than 16,000 indigent households.At Nketoana, the DA accused municipal manager Moketi Solomon Nhlapo of allowing unrestricted access to financial systems, creating opportunities for fraudulent payments. The municipality also has an Eskom debt of R883m, according to the party.Acting municipal manager MS Mohale of Mohokare was accused of presiding over repeated disclaimer audits, material irregularities and financial losses, as well as failing to ensure that senior managers disclose their financial interests.In the North West, the DA targeted Ditsobotla municipal manager Olaotse Bojosinvane, accusing him of nine years of audit failures and of failing to budget for more than 39,000 indigent households despite R115m being allocated for them.Kannaland in the Western Cape was the only Western Cape municipality on the list. Its municipal manager, Dillo Sereo, was accused of tender-related failures, including issuing tenders before obtaining quotations and failing to monitor contracts.The DA named two officials at Maluti-a-Phofung, accusing the municipality of persistent failures to maintain accounting records.The final name was Ngaka Modiri Molema district municipality manager Olehile Allan Losaba, whom Michalakis said was suspended for misconduct in 2025.The DA accused Losaba of being implicated in an inflated R4.6m water-tanker contract and said the auditor-general had found him personally liable. It also cited R27m in wasteful expenditure and alleged irregularities involving security tenders.Michalakis said a forensic investigation has been presented to the municipal council but ANC councillors blocked its adoption by preventing a quorum.The DA said its campaign was intended to expose municipal failures and change how local governments are managed.Michalakis acknowledged that the list is not exhaustive and said the party has started with municipalities it regarded as the worst cases.He rejected suggestions that the announcement, before the November local government elections, is primarily political.The DA would use the elections to try to reduce the ANC’s support below 50% in struggling municipalities and position itself to take over their administrations, he said.The DA said the criminal charges will be filed over the coming weeks and that it will continue using other accountability mechanisms, including working with the auditor-general.The DA leaders defended publicly identifying the officials, saying residents have a right to know who is responsible for decisions affecting access to water, electricity and other basic services.TimesLIVE
