The Limpopo Office of the Premier has described as fake the allegations of corruption made by a parody social media account, claiming that Premier Phophi Ramathuba and Cooperative Governance MEC Basikopo Makamu were involved in a R1 billion corruption scandal at the Mogalakwena Local Municipality.

The allegations were made on a social media account purporting to be from Mogalakwena Municipal Manager Morris Montengo Maluleka. 

The account claimed that Ramathuba and Makamu had instructed Maluleka to process dubious transactions and hire their relatives.

However, Office of the Premier spokesperson Ndave Ramakuela has rubbished these claims, stating that they are “entirely false” and reflect a “fundamental misunderstanding of the operational dynamics within government”.

“The Office of the Premier has noted with grave concern the reckless and misleading information circulating on social media, initially propagated by a Facebook account under the name of Tshepo Ledwaba on 04 August 2025. 

“Following a preliminary investigation by the Mogalakwena Municipality, the account was promptly deactivated. Subsequently, a deceptive account was created that falsely appeared to be authored by the Municipal Manager of Mogalakwena Municipality, Mr Morris Montengo Maluleka.

“When the Mogalakwena Municipality issued a statement to distance itself from this and opened a case of cyberbullying on 15 August 2025, the narrative shifted to a parody account on X (formerly Twitter) known as @generalmkhwanaz (Commissioner General Mkhwanazi),” Ramakuela said.

According to Ramakuela, municipalities operate independently, and Municipal Managers do not report to the Premier or MEC. 

The Premier may only intervene in local government matters under specific circumstances after receiving reports from the MEC for COGHSTA. 

“Municipal Councils and their Municipal Managers operate independently and do not operationally report to the Premier or the MEC,” said Ramakuela.

He added that the Premier had escalated the matter to law enforcement agencies to investigate the origins of the ‘baseless allegations’. 

Additionally, the Premier has implored these agencies to ensure the safety and protection of the Municipal Manager amid these troubling circumstances.

The Mogalakwena Local Municipality has also distanced itself from the fake Facebook account, saying it was a malicious attempt to confuse the community.

 “The municipality has opened a criminal case for further investigation and believes that these actions are part of a deliberate campaign to remove the Municipal Manager who has brought stability and taken bold decisions for the best interest and development of the institution,” said its spokesperson Malesela Selokela.

The municipality has emphasised that the Municipal Manager and officials will not be discouraged by these malicious allegations and will continue to serve the community of Mogalakwena.

The user of the parody account did not answer questions sent on the private messaging system.

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za

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