Emfuleni Municipality is facing fresh scrutiny after MMC for Public Works, Cllr Tumi Mochawe, allegedly promised positions in the newly established Water and Sanitation Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to political allies.
In widely circulated voice note recordings, Mochawe can be heard speaking with another individual, named ‘Tso’, discussing how the World Bank had awarded them the internationally recognised “Utility of the Future” certificate. He reportedly said he was compiling a list of names to be sent via email, and in envelopes, adding that “Emfuleni is full of crooks.”
The pair allegedly continued discussing the distribution of positions to political allies, with ‘Tso’ asking for the list to be delivered to his office. They named several of their allies who were allegedly already on the list.
This is not the first time Mochawe has been at the centre of controversy. In August 2024, residents of Emfuleni Zone 3 took to the streets, accusing him of not taking care of their needs amid persistent service delivery failures.
Residents complained of prolonged power outages, raw sewage flowing through their streets, and employment opportunities being handed to outsiders instead of residents when municipal projects came to the area.
ActionSA has slammed the circulating audio, saying it is “deeply concerned” by the Emfuleni MMC’s alleged jobs-for-pals promises to political allies while residents continue to suffer from chronic service delivery failures.
Bongani Dhlamini, ActionSA’s Emfuleni Regional Chairperson, said the SPV was meant to rescue residents from years of water and sanitation collapse in Emfuleni.
“Instead, before it has even begun its work, it is already being hijacked by ANC cadres who see jobs as currency for their internal factional battles,” he said.
Dhlamini said this scandal is yet another reminder that the ANC can not separate governance from patronage.
“While communities in Emfuleni continue to suffer dry taps, sewage running amok in the streets and chronic collapsing infrastructure, ANC politicians are already carving up opportunities for themselves and their comrades,” he added.
Dhlamini further stressed that ActionSA has repeatedly urged Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and the Infrastructure Development and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) MEC Jacob Mamabolo to invoke Section 139(5) and place the municipality under administration, warning that without intervention, Emfuleni will remain trapped in a cycle of collapse and corruption.
The party also recalled that in October 2023, Mochawe came under fire from residents who slammed him for flaunting a luxury German car while they endured squalid conditions and the municipality reeled from deep financial woes.
Dhlamini said ActionSA will demand a full investigation in the Gauteng Legislature, vowing to hold both Emfuleni Municipality and the provincial government accountable to ensure SPV appointments are transparent, merit-based, and serve residents, not ANC conference delegates.
Amid the backlash, Mochawe denied the allegations, insisting that the SPV was still in the process of being launched and that recruitment had not yet begun.
“I don’t think the recruitment process is even close, so I don’t know what these recordings are about. The hiring will be handled by the HR department of the new entity, not me. So, in short, there’s no such thing,” he said.
Gauteng COGTA spokesperson Theo Nkonki said MEC Mamabolo had noted the allegations and would engage with Emfuleni to hear their side of the story.
“Our intervention will be determined by the outcome of this engagement,” he said.
The Star also contacted Emfuleni Mayoral Committee spokesperson Mphikeleli Msibi, who said he was still awaiting a response from the department at the time of publication.
This is not the first time the municipality has been mired in a jobs-for-pals scandal.
Previously, IOL reported that political appointments were made in the offices of the mayor, council speaker, and chief whip just two weeks before the 2021 municipal elections, and were shockingly made permanent despite a directive from then-Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, stating such positions must be vacated at the end of a political term.
The Star
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