22 April 2026
A report ordered by the North West MEC for cooperative governance Gaoage Molapisi has found that a failure by the Tswaing mayor and municipal council to exercise oversight over appointments of three officials cost the municipality millions. Illustration: Lisa Nelson
North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs Gaoage Molapisi has ordered Tswaing Mayor Norah Mahlangu and the municipal council to respond to damning findings of maladministration.
Letters have been delivered to the mayor and councillors at Tswaing Local Municipality in the North West, ordering them to explain why they did not exercise proper oversight over the appointment of three officials.
This follows an investigation ordered in September 2025 by Molapisi on the instructions of Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Velekosini Hlabisa. Tau Matsimela Attorneys was appointed, and the final investigative report was handed to Molapisi on 30 January 2026.
In February, the MEC visited the municipality to hand over the report to the speaker and municipal officials. Councillors received the report in March.
The report, seen by GroundUp, paints a picture of an already financially distressed municipality plagued by problems which “if left unabated, will collapse the administration of the municipality” where roughly 130,000 people live.
The three officials are: acting corporate services director advocate Lesang Lobakeng, acting municipal manager Borman Phutiyagae, and housing manager Mogale Morwe.
Lobakeng was seconded by provincial COGTA department as a legal expert from March to May 2022. But within ten days he was also appointed acting municipal manager. His tenure was extended several times. In 2025, he was appointed chief legal officer without any council resolution. Two days later, he was also appointed acting director of corporate services.
The report said the appointments should be set aside as they had circumvented the requirements of the Municipal Systems Act.
The investigators also flagged huge litigation costs of more than R39-million during his tenure. They said attorneys had been paid at higher rates than the set government tariffs. “This would normally point to kickbacks to municipal employees amounting to elements of corruption.”
Phutiyagae was appointed as manager for town planning and land use management on 1 April 2023. However, he did not even serve one day in that capacity, the report said. Within half a day he was “promoted” to acting director for corporate services.
The investigators said he lacked the minimum qualifications for this post but continued to occupy it with month-to-month extensions until August 2025, despite the post being re-advertised.
The report said Phutiyagae had been instrumental in facilitating the irregular appointments of Lobakeng. He had instructed the salaries department to process payments for Lobakeng’s overlapping roles and, in September 2025, had made a “hasty” permanent offer to Lobakeng as chief legal officer without the required council resolution. He had also authorised a non-compliant contract extension for Lobakeng that was backdated by two months.
As acting corporate services director, he had been responsible for contracts without the mandatory agreements, rendering performance evaluation impossible, they said.
They recommended that his appointment be set aside and that he face accountability under the Municipal Finance Management Act, including potential civil recovery processes.
Mogale Morwe, the current Housing Manager of Tswaing, had occupied several high-level roles including acting municipal manager and director of community services, in spite of having no post-matric qualifications, the investigators said.
He had served as a town planner but had been dismissed in 2021. Despite losing his appeals in both the Labour and Labour Appeal Courts, he had been reinstated in October 2021, without the approval of the council.
While acting municipal manager in May 2024, he had signed a legally binding wage settlement with the SA Municipal Workers Union. The municipality was under administration at the time and the administrator had refused the settlement, but Morwe’s signature had committed the municipality to retrospective payments.
The investigators recommended that Morwe be relieved of his current duties as housing manager, “given the magnitude of the negative effect of his unlawful appointment to the coffers of the municipality”.
GroundUp contacted Mayor Norah Mahlangu, Speaker Sam Letlakane, as well as Phutiyagae, Lobakeng and Morwe.
Tswaing municipal spokesperson Osupile Tys said that they “are not in a position to respond at this stage … (as) premature responses could compromise the integrity” of the investigation.
Molapisi’s spokesperson, Lerato Gambu, acknowledged that the report makes “adverse findings against councillors and officials,” but said he was “unable to share more information into the findings” as the MEC was waiting for responses from the individuals concerned and the council.
He said Molapisi would then decide whether action was warranted.
Matters involving municipal officials had been referred to council for action in line with legislation, while possible civil action against those responsible for financial losses would be considered case by case, said Gambu.
