KIMBERLEY – The three officials of the John Taolo Gaetsewe (JTG) District Municipality in the Northern Cape who stand accused of allegations of corruption, fraud, cyber fraud, cyber forgery, uttering, and contraventions of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act will appear in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Kimberley on 6 October for the state to disclose documents.

Earlier, the Northern Cape High Court dismissed an urgent application by the suspended Municipal Manager of the JTG District Municipality, Kagisho Klaas Teise, who sought to overturn his precautionary suspension following his arrest by the Hawks in June.

Judge Mpho Mamosebo delivered the judgment on 25 August, ruling that the municipality’s precautionary suspension of Teise was neither unlawful nor unfair, and dismissed the application with costs.

Teise, who has served as the JTG District Municipal Manager since 1 June 2023, launched urgent court proceedings on 17 July. He challenged the validity of a Special Council Meeting held on 13 July, and the subsequent notice of suspension served on him on 14 July.

He sought an order to resume his duties immediately, arguing that the municipality failed to comply with Regulation 6 of the Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers because he was not given a proper opportunity to submit written representations before his suspension took effect.

High Court rejects manager’s arguments

However, the High Court rejected his arguments. Judge Mamosebo noted that whilst regulations require an opportunity for representation, they do not establish an inflexible rule prohibiting a municipal council from taking immediate protective measures where objective risks exist. The court highlighted that Teise was expressly granted a seven-day window to make written representations but chose not to do so, opting instead to immediately launch legal proceedings.

Because Teise holds the most senior administrative office as the municipality’s accounting officer, the court found that his continued presence at the workplace posed a rational risk of interference with investigations and subordinate employees who are potential witnesses.

The legal battle follows a high-profile operation on 29 June, when the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation Team arrested Teise and two other senior municipal officials at their workplace in Kuruman.

The other co-accused are Motshabi Wilberforce Molusi (manager of the Project Management Unit) and Lerato Agreeneth Morris (manager of Council Administration).

Details of alleged fraud

According to police statements and court papers, the arrests concluded an investigation into allegations of corruption, fraud, cyber fraud, cyber forgery, uttering, and contraventions of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act.

The state alleges that the trio worked in tandem to illegally alter the competency assessment results of an applicant for the position of Director of Community Services, which was advertised on 16 October 2022. The candidate’s results were reportedly changed from “basic” to “competent” to unfairly secure them the senior post.

Following their arrest, Teise and Molusi were released on R10 000 bail each, whilst Morris was granted R5 000 bail at the Kuruman Magistrate’s Court. The criminal case has been postponed for transfer to the Serious Commercial Crimes Court.

DA accuses ANC of political interference

On 10 July, weeks before the court’s judgment, the DA issued a sharp warning to Council Speaker Ikgopoleng Aiseng, demanding that standard internal disciplinary processes against Teise be implemented without further delay.

DA Councillor Koketso Paul accused the ANC of “blatant interference” in municipal governance. Paul claimed that an earlier Special Council Meeting convened to address the implications of the criminal charges was “purposefully derailed” when ANC councillors were recalled and a “suspiciously convenient” power outage delayed proceedings. The DA also alleged that a recommendation to place the Municipal Manager on compulsory paid leave was initially overturned due to political interference.

Declaring the situation “an attack on good governance,” the DA demanded that the Speaker urgently reconvene the council, ensure disciplinary proceedings align with legal regulations, and enforce strict consequence management.

“The people of the JTG district deserve a municipality that puts clean governance first, not one that protects officials facing serious criminal charges,” Paul stated, warning that the party would use every available option to hold the municipality accountable.

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