A former acting municipal manager of Makhado municipality in Limpopo, Johannes Kandwendo, is to face disciplinary action over his involvement in the irregular investment of R63m at VBS Mutual Bank.

This follows a council resolution late on Tuesday afternoon in which the ANC indirectly supported a motion by the DA to push Kandwendo out of the municipality. Kandwendo is currently director of community services at the municipality.

In August this year, the DA submitted two motions of no confidence against Kandwendo and Mayor Mildred Sinyosi, respectively, for their role in the depositing of R63m at VBS without proper procedures being followed.

At a special council meeting late on Tuesday, the ANC instead insisted that it first table a draft resolution before the DA motion against Kandwendo could be heard. In the draft resolution, the ANC called for the suspension of Kandwendo and subsequent disciplinary action against him.

The resolution was adopted by the council and Kandwendo has now been given seven days to give reasons why he should not be suspended.

However, a motion to remove Sinyosi as the mayor failed. The ANC, which is a majority party in the council, voted against the motion.

‘The buck stops with him’

The DA’s Geoffrey Tshibvumo said: “The results of the motion of no confidence against Sinyosi were a show that they (ANC) will continue to defend the indefensible. All the shenanigans about VBS investment happened under her nose.”

Tshibvumo also said his party was happy that Kandwendo would face the music.

“We are happy that the ANC reacted to our motion. He was an accounting officer at the time and the buck stops with him.”

A week ago, the Giyani municipality dismissed its chief financial officer (CFO), Hitler Maluleke, for, among other contraventions, his involvement in the investment of almost R160m at VBS. He was fired after a disciplinary hearing.

Maluleke, who is also a former CFO at Makhado municipality, was also accused of having authorised payments for projects that were not completed.

The ANC’s integrity committee has since called on all its members implicated in the VBS heist report to resign.

However, Limpopo ANC treasurer Danny Msiza, who is also seriously implicated in the report, has since indicated that he will go to court to challenge the document.