Rustenburg - The municipal manager and chief financial officer of Bojanala Platinum district municipality in North West have been suspended, the municipality said on Thursday.
Spokesperson Archie Babeile said a special council meeting resolved on Wednesday, to suspend municipal manager Pogiso Shikwane and chief financial officer, Olga Ndlovu.
The council sitting was convened to consider written representation from Shikwane and Ndlovu on reasons why they should not be suspended.
"After due consideration of written representation of both municipal manager and chief financial offiicer, council believes that there is a reasonable cause that an act of misconduct has been committed and resolved to place both with immediate effect on precautionary suspension with full pay in terms of paragraph 6 of the local government: disciplinary regulation for senior managers," Babeile said.
The council further resolve to request local government MEC Gordon Kegakilwe to second officials to act as municipal manager and chief financial officer.
An independent investigator will be appointed to probe the allegations of misconduct against Shikwane and Ndlovu.
A special council sitting on October 3, resolved to issued notices to Shikwane and Ndlovu asking them to state reasons why they should not be suspended.
This followed a report tabled by mayor Fetsang Molosiwa, which indicated that the North West department of human settlements erroneously transferred an amount of R134 million to Bojanala Platinum district municipality in March 2018.
The money was meant to be transferred to the Rustenburg local municipality.
According to the report, after receiving the money, Shikwane and Ndlovu did not inform the mayor or the council, they refused to transfer the money back to the department and used it for other purposes without being authorised by council.
As a result the provincial treasury withheld the equatable share of the municipality in July 2019, and the municipality was unable to pay salaries.
When the equatable share was released, Shikwane and Ndlovu used a portion of it to settle the debt owed to the provincial human settlement, without a council resolution.
According to sources within the municipality, Bojanala used R80 million and returned R50 million, when the equatable share was paid the outstanding R80 millon was paid back to human settlement.
The municipality was unable to pay salaries of workers in September and in July, salaries were delayed.
Last week irate workers set alight the garages behind the municipal office used for storage, but the flames were doused.
Workers emptied refused bins inside the building including in the council chamber and also burnt tyres on the streets in front of the municipal offices, demanding to be paid their salaries.