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IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Sedibeng Mayor Lerato Maloka found unharmed after being abducted
Sedibeng District Municipality mayor Lerato Maloka was found unharmed following her abduction over the weekend. Image: Supplied The abduction of the mayor of Sedibeng District Municipality, Lerato Maloka, has been linked by sources to her media briefing where she announced that she requested the Gauteng provincial government to institute an investigation into corruption in the municipality. Maloka and her driver were hijacked and kidnapped from Alberton on Friday and both were found unharmed and reunited with their families on Saturday night, police confirmed. Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said the investigations were ongoing and a manhunt for the suspects is underway. Sources claimed a link between the abduction to a media briefing held by Maloka last week, where she announced that has written to the Gauteng MEC for Local Government, Jacob Mamabolo, and requested a full investigation into corruption at the municipality. She wants the investigation to focus on senior municipal officials, who she claims have paid themselves approximately one million rand from the council coffers. She also made claims of irregular appointments even though the municipality does not have money and officials lying to the council about senior manager appointments. Maloka said she has also written to the Public Protector asking for help. She said her efforts to make the municipality follow the law and serve the people properly have been ignored. A criminal complaint was recently laid against Maloka, alleging that she stole the mayoral chain after a break-in at her office. Maloka denied the allegations, saying she was a victim of lies and harassment because she was trying to clean up the municipality. The Sedibeng mayoral chain, valued at R465,000, mysteriously disappeared after the State of the District Address on June 23, 2023, but the case of theft was not opened until November 2023. The allegations against Maloka also included improper use of municipal resources such as taking expensive trips using municipal money, including a costly flight to support an employee at a funeral. The allegations resulted in the mayor's removal from office by a Council Vote of No Confidence in January 2025, but she was re-elected three weeks later. 'It cannot be that the mayor is exposing corruption and announcing her intention to investigate and the next thing she is hijacked and kidnapped. This is very suspicious,' said a source, adding that this could be influenced by those who want to see her out of the office. Several efforts to get a comment from Maloka were unsuccessful. The municipality's spokesperson, Nomvula Khalo, confimed that Maloka had written a letter to Mamabolo, but said he was unaware of the content of the communication. Mamabolo's spokesperson Theo Nkonki said the matter should be addressed with the police, adding the department was not in a position to comment. Sedibeng ANC spokesperson, Velile Mkhontwana, did not respond to messages and calls. Meanwhile, the DA has announced that the council has resolved to write to Mamabolo and request the suspension of Maloka. In a statement released on Thursday, the party said Maloka had given a press interview behind closed doors during council proceedings, which included debate to determined her future in the mayoral chair.
The Citizen
23-05-2025
- The Citizen
Two years later: Sedibeng's missing mayoral chain still a mystery
Nearly two years after the disappearance of a lavish R465,000 mayoral chain from the Sedibeng District Municipality, key questions about its ownership, loss, and recovery remain unanswered. Despite formal inquiries and political pressure, neither Sedibeng District Municipality, nor the Emfuleni Local Municipality has provided clarity — and the chain itself is still missing. What first appeared to be a simple case of theft has since become a bizarre story of what appears to be municipal mismanagement, blurred lines of responsibility, and official silence. A golden symbol vanishes The gold mayoral chain — a ceremonial symbol of office — was last seen on June 23, 2023, following Sedibeng's State of the District Address (SODA). According to a February 2024 press statement by DA Emfuleni North Constituency Head, Kingsol Chabalala MPL, a criminal case of theft was only opened on November 12, 2023, prompting concerns about the delayed response. The Democratic Alliance questioned why the chain's disappearance was not immediately reported to police, raising suspicions of negligence or possible cover-up. They also noted that Mayor Lerato Maloka had previously been linked to another incident involving sabotage of her municipal vehicle. The twist: The chain belongs to Emfuleni In March 2025, Sedibeng councillor Lynda Parsonson revealed a startling twist: the missing chain may never have belonged to Sedibeng at all. According to her, a former Sedibeng mayor — Simon Mofokeng — allegedly swapped Sedibeng's original chain for Emfuleni's during his time in office. 'After official engagements, it was generally handed over to security officials to be secured in the municipal safe,' Parsonson wrote. 'However, after one event, the mayor decided to retain the chain and instead lock it in a cupboard in her office. The chain has not been seen since.' Even more striking, Parsonson stated that councillors were not informed of the disappearance until much later and that council is still waiting for a police report. Municipal Silence To verify this complex situation, Vaalweekblad sent formal queries to Sedibeng Communications Coordinator Reggie Moiloa and Spokesperson for the Emfuleni Local Municipality Makhosonke Sangweni on March 25, requesting responses to 12 specific questions regarding: *The chain's ownership, *Whether the asset exchange was documented or authorised, *The timing and nature of the theft report, *Cooperation with police, *Insurance claims, and *Possible consequences for the municipality. Initially, neither municipality responded. However, in a brief reply to a follow-up enquiry, Sangweni stated: 'The matter belongs to Sedibeng District Municipality and all we know is that the matter is before courts and shall await for the final outcome.' No further details were provided, and Sedibeng has remained silent. This limited response comes despite The Citizen reporting in February 2024 that the chain belonged to Emfuleni — and despite ongoing public calls for accountability. No resolution, no accountability To date no arrests have been made, no offical explanation has been provided for the delayed theft report and neither municipality has confirmed responsibility or insurance coverage. The chain remains unaccounted for What should have been a straightforward investigation has devolved into a bureaucratic mystery. The public, meanwhile, is left in the dark about how a R465,000 asset could vanish — apparently without consequence. A Symbol of Dysfunction Beyond the missing gold, the case seems to reveal deeper issues: poor asset management, confusion over municipal property, and a worrying lack of transparency. If the chain was never Sedibeng's to begin with, why did they use it? Why did they report it stolen under their name? And why, nearly two years later, are basic questions still being ignored? Unless authorities speak out, the chain will remain not only missing — but a symbol of dysfunction in Sedibeng's leadership. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
IOL News
22-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
ActionSA calls for fiscal discipline as South Africa spends R3.45 billion on foreign missions
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has criticised wasteful foreign mission spending, and has called for urgent fiscal discipline in South Africa. ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has expressed concern over South Africa's wasteful spending on foreign missions, revealing that the country spent R3.45 billion in the 2023/24 financial year on maintaining 115 embassies, high commissions, and consulates worldwide. Mashaba emphasised the need for urgent fiscal discipline and a comprehensive review of these operations to ensure taxpayer money is being used effectively. According to a parliamentary reply obtained by ActionSA, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) allocated significant amounts across various regions, with R950 million in Africa, R900 million in Asia and the Middle East, R813 million in Europe, R465 million in the Americas, and R325 million on global governance and multilateral missions. However, no system is in place to assess the cost effectiveness of these missions, raising concerns about wasteful spending. Among the most concerning revelations were embassies in countries where South Africa has limited or no strategic or trade relations. For instance, the South African embassy in Bangui, Central African Republic, cost taxpayers R25.7 million, while missions in Nouakchott (Mauritania) and Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) amounted to R16.1 million and R15.6 million, respectively.
