Giyani municipality axes top officials over stolen service delivery equipment

The Greater Giyani municipality in Limpopo has confirmed that it has dismissed two of its senior officials over their alleged involvement in the theft and sale of municipal fleet vehicles.

News of the dismissals was allegedly kept hush-hush until the media unearthed them this week.

Those privy to the news told The Citizen that the dismissals occurred last week, but only came to light after the pair apparently showed up at work on Monday and were reportedly denied access to municipal premises by heavily armed security guards.

“We can confirm that the two officials have been dismissed following a thorough investigation into alleged misconduct,” said municipality spokesperson Steven Mabunda on Friday.

“In respecting their right to appeal, we cannot disclose further details regarding the charges. But we can assure you that the municipality upholds a zero-tolerance policy on misconduct,” he explained.

Stealing service delivery equipment

The dismissals in Giyani happened as The Citizen reported that a criminal syndicate stole more than R250 million worth of construction machinery across KwaZulu‑Natal (KZN) since 2024, crippling road projects and hijacking workers.

“Since 2024, we have lost over R250 million worth of heavy construction machinery and transport vehicles. This machinery is critical in ensuring the timely construction of new roads and the maintenance of more than 34 000 kilometres of our road networks,” KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, said.

Three suspects in Eshowe have been arrested, and a stolen grader has been recovered.