By OBAKENG MAJE
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), The Hawks which targets organised crime, economic crime, corruption, and other serious crime is allegedly swooping on the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) over the traffic learnership program.
This comes after the matter was allegedly reported to the Hawks for investigation after an outcry from political parties including the public over the ‘flawed’ selection process. It is alleged that, those who were selected either have close proximity with politicians or municipal officials.
The Hawks allegedly visited the embattled municipality on Tuesday last week to gather more details and confiscated some documents prior to investigations.
The Hawks spokesperson in North West, Captain Tlangelani Rikhotso, who was cagey regarding details surrounding the matter, confirmed that there are ongoing investigations they are conducting at the municipality, but failed to shed more light.
“We can confirm that we do have ongoing investigations at the municipality in question just like in other municipalities. However, we cannot furnish details surrounding any investigations until the finalisation thereof,” she said.
In June 2022, the Patriotic Alliance councillor at the municipality, Mosadiotsile Morapedi posted a video that went viral on social media, where individuals who were selected for the program were seen in a minibus taxi with luggage going for a training in Welkom in Free State province.
According to Morapedi, the municipality advertised the learnership, and no recruitment processes have been conducted. She was seen confronting ANC councillor, Pinkie Mosinkiemang, who was seen assisting in directing the process.
“We have kept quiet for so long, now these individuals are doing corruption with impunity. In February 2022, the council decided in a strategic planning meeting because the municipality is failing to collect its revenue, so we should come up with strategic measures to ensure an increase in our fiscal.
“So, the council took a resolution that the municipality should have its own traffic officers to implement the by-laws and assist in collecting revenue. Remember, the GTLM is a rural municipality and mostly collects its revenue from Reivilo, Pudimoe, and Extension 6 only,” she said.
Morapedi further said the council is still waiting for a report on the traffic learnership, but she was shocked to hear that there were individuals selected already.
Meanwhile, The Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) mayor, Tumisang Gaoraelwe, who was also accused of including his former girlfriend in the program said, he is not aware of any ongoing investigations at the municipality by the Hawks over the traffic learnership program.
“I have never been contacted physically or telephonically by the Hawks regarding the issue, neither have I been informed by anyone. So, I don’t know whether the Hawks are investigating the program or not.
“Maybe, you should contact the Hawks investigators, so that they could tell you whom they have asked questions to in regard to the issue. That will also be informative for me too,” Gaoraelwe said.
The Guardian 