KROONSTAD – The Moqhaka Local Municipality has dismissed its Municipal Manager, Portia Tshabalala, after a disciplinary hearing found her guilty of financial misconduct in violation of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
The decision was taken during a special council meeting in Kroonstad on 29 January, where councilors unanimously agreed that dismissal was the only appropriate and lawful sanction.
Tshabalala’s dismissal follows a protracted disciplinary process linked to her role in the appointment and payment of PKC Consulting (Pty) Ltd, a company contracted to carry out ICT data recovery services after the municipality was hit by a cyber-attack in 2023. Municipal spokesperson Dika Kheswa said council had carefully weighed the findings and recommendations of the disciplinary proceedings before reaching its decision. In a memorandum issued on Tuesday 3 February, the executive mayor of the Moqhaka Municipality, Motloheloa Ellis Mokatsane, informed all directors, councillors and municipal employees of the decision. He stated that, during the transitional period, all municipal matters would be managed by the respective departmental heads.
The DA says what was expected to be a routine special council meeting descended into disorder when the ANC attempted to force through what opposition parties described as an irregular and disputed appointment to the position of acting municipal manager. Opposition parties outvoted the ANC to block the appointment of a director whose position is currently under dispute by the MEC, and who is not suitably qualified for the role. After nearly three hours spent on a single agenda item, with Speaker Selloane Khiba reportedly unable to maintain order or enforce procedural boundaries, the DA demanded that the alleged irregularities be formally recorded and reported to the MEC. In a dramatic turn of events, Mokatsane conceded that no acting municipal manager would be appointed and that a secondment from the MEC would instead be requested. He revealed the existence of a court ruling confirming the immediate dismissal of the previously suspended municipal manager.
• Previously Tshabalala was suspended in March 2024, pending investigations into allegations of misconduct in terms of Regulation 6(6)(a) of the Local Government: Disciplinary Regulations for Senior Managers, 2020. In a bid to halt the process, Tshabalala approached the Labour Court, arguing that the municipality had failed to conclude the investigation within the prescribed three-month period following her suspension and was reinstated last year again.
