Roads Agency Limpopo board on verge of dissolution

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30-07-2024
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The Citizen
Source

The Roads Agency Limpopo board faces dissolution after allegedly extending its term improperly, sparking investigations.

The board of directors at Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) is on the verge of being dissolved after it allegedly extended its term of office without following procedures.

The matter is being investigated by the department of public works, roads and infrastructure and the office of the premier, Dr Phophi Ramathuba.

After the appointment of new members of the provincial executive committee, some disgruntled members of the RAL board and officials approached the MEC of public works, Tonny Rachoene and Ramathuba about how the board term of office was illegally extended, The Citizen was reliably told.

Premier perturbed

The current board was appointed by the then MEC Dickson Masemola. It was appointed for a period of three years, which ended in February.

However, the new MEC, Nkakareng Rakgoale, extended the term until 2027.

“But the extension was not without controversy. This is so because it was done nine months before February 2024. This kind of appointment is not permitted by the RAL Act,” said an inside source.

The source said “the premier is very perturbed and so is MEC Rachoene. As I speak to you now, there is a plan to dissolve the board.”

Yesterday, the EFF accused the board of overcommitting itself in the appointment of contractors to build roads in Limpopo.

“This is reckless and carelessness,” EFF Limpopo provincial chair, Lawrence Mapoulo said yesterday.

Mapoulo said the move to overcommit without any budget was an ANC ploy to loot state resources in cahoots with contractors.

“How do you overcommit knowing very well that there is no money. But we are not surprised. The writing is on the wall. It is a known fact that the ANC uses such tendencies for electioneering. From where I am standing, it’s like our government is taking the route of Section 100.”

Ramathuba has told RAL to refrain from overcommitting.

“I was at the provincial Treasury last week. They showed me the ledger and there was no money,” said Ramathuba. The department of public works was not available for comment.