Audio Clip Sparks ANC Probe as Mayor Maria Thamaga Faces Allegations of Stealing Municipal Money

• The ANC initiated an investigation after an audio message suggested that Mayor Maria Thamaga admitted to misusing funds
• Opposition parties demand criminal charges, citing allegations of infrastructure neglect and service delivery failure
• The ANC regional spokesperson confirmed the verification of the audio but warned against jumping to conclusions about the authenticity

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

LIMPOPO - The African National Congress's (ANC) Peter Mokaba Region in Limpopo has launched an internal investigation after an audio clip surfaced allegedly featuring Maria Thamaga admitting to stealing money.

Councillor accuses mayor of invoking municipal funds

The recording, widely circulated on social media, captures a heated exchange between a voice believed to be Thamaga's and a woman understood to be an ANC ward councillor. In the clip, the mayor allegedly claims she gave councillors R3,000 the previous week to secure attendance at a branch meeting. The meeting was reportedly linked to efforts to nominate her to the ANC Provincial Executive Committee (PEC), a move seen as key to retaining her mayoral position.

Read also

ANC Gauteng moves to remove Emfuleni mayor Sipho Radebe amid party discipline concerns

The councillor responds that the meeting did not proceed because there was no transport to collect residents from several villages. She said she often uses her personal vehicle to transport people from about nine villages and had used it that day to assist someone with a court appearance. The date and venue of the alleged meeting remain unclear. The exchange escalated when the councillor accused the mayor of invoking municipal funds. The mayor allegedly responds that she is not using municipal money but is "busy stealing" to distribute funds to councillors to secure support, adding that failure to do so could result in her removal from office. The clip does not specify the source of the money.

According to IOL, ANC provincial spokesperson Jimmy Machaka referred queries to the regional structure. Regional spokesperson Rudolph Rapetswa confirmed the party is aware of the recording and has initiated an investigation to verify its authenticity. He said the party would not jump to conclusions, citing the possibility of manipulated audio through artificial intelligence. He added that the ANC would trace the origin of the clip and formally engage Thamaga and the councillor to determine whether the voices are theirs.

Read also

Roedean Head steps down as King David Linksfield tennis dispute deepens

Party not aware of any public funds being used

Rapetswa said the party was not aware of any public funds being used to influence internal conferences and warned that anyone found to have done so would be recalled without hesitation. He noted that ANC deployees and branch leaders sometimes voluntarily use personal resources, including transport, to support party activities in rural wards. He confirmed that the Provincial Executive Committee had outlined a roadmap toward a provincial conference and that branches are currently holding meetings as part of that process. He could not confirm whether the specific meeting referenced in the clip had been scheduled.

Opposition parties in Limpopo have called for criminal charges and a motion of no confidence. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) provincial chairperson, Lawrence Mapoulo, said the party would open a theft case at the local police station and table a motion to remove her. He alleged that service delivery in the municipality has collapsed and that several infrastructure projects remain incomplete.

Read also

Siwele FC PSL star suspended amid shocking rape allegations as NPA steps in”

Build One South Africa's Capricorn (BOSA) district chairperson Ngako Setjie also called for Thamaga to step aside and demanded a forensic, independent probe into municipal finances and procurement. He alleged that delegates may have been improperly influenced and accused the ANC of shielding the mayor. Setjie said his organisation would also open a theft case with the police in Polokwane. The ANC investigation remains ongoing.

Suspended Impendle mayor and speaker continue duties

Briefly News also reported that suspended Impendle Mayor Kho Dlamini and Speaker Zibuse Dlamini continue to perform their duties despite the ANC's disciplinary action.

The ANC suspended the councillors for defying the party's directive during a contentious council sitting.

Source: Briefly News