The Democratic Alliance (DA) wants Joe Morolong municipality to launch a full investigation into the municipality’s contract management in respect of the extortion of service providers and suppliers, following the conviction of former Joe Morolong Councillor, Keemenao Julia Katong, on corruption charges.
According to a statement released by the Hawks yesterday, Katong demanded vehicle tyres and cash payments from a contractor who was providing transport for construction workers during 2019. She threatened the contractor with the termination of the contract if her demands were not met. The contractor eventually reported the matter to the Hawks. Katong was sentenced to four years direct imprisonment for five counts of corruption.
While the DA welcomes the outcome of this court case and hopes that it will serve as a deterrent to others who are violating the system, we are concerned that the culture of corruption may still be prevalent within Joe Morolong and that Katong may not have acted alone.
Joe Morolong municipality received a disclaimer of opinion by the Auditor-General for the 2021/2022 Financial year. Amongst the AG’s many findings was that contracts were awarded to bidders that did not score the highest points in the evaluation process, which was also a repeat finding from the prior year. There are a number of other findings in respect of procurement and contracts that should raise alarm bells in light of the criminal conviction of Katong, that is testament to potential irregularities within this unit.
The DA will table a motion at the next council meeting, insisting that MPAC undertakes an investigation into the further potential extortion of contractors. Corruption is draining the public purse and its effects can be seen in the poor audit outcomes and increasing service delivery limitations in Joe Morolong.