Staff Reporter
Bloemfontein – The Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) has raised serious concerns over the continued and costly use of private law firms by Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality (MAP).
This is revealed in a letter dated 2 February 2026, seen by this publication, authored by Advocate Mojalefa Mantso, Director: Municipal Administration and Legal Services at COGTA, and addressed to Linda Maphalala at MAP.
In the letter, Mantso questions the municipality’s failure to ensure cost-effective governance, particularly within its Legal Department.
“The department notes with concern the issues raised regarding the apparent incapacity within the Legal Department to fully discharge its constitutional, legislative and administrative mandate, including ensuring that the operations of the Municipality are conducted lawfully, transparently, cost-effectively and in the best interests of the local community, as envisaged by sections 152 and 195 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.”
Mantso further warns that the municipality’s reliance on external legal service providers — initially meant to be a temporary intervention — has now become a prolonged and potentially entrenched practice.
In concluding remarks, COGTA instructs MAP to initiate a formal investigation and diagnostic assessment, including probing possible duplication or overlap between the roles of internal legal officials and externally appointed law firms.
This despite the municipality employing four advocates, including Municipal Manager Mzwakhe Mofokeng.
MPAC and AGSA red flags
The matter has also been flagged by the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), following findings by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), which declared related expenditures irregular.
Law firms paid by MAP
Below is a breakdown of payments made to private law firms:
Date
Law Firm
Amount
10 Oct 2023
Noge Attorneys
R94,969.00
25 Jan 2024
Pieter Skein Attorneys
R100,000.00
25 Oct 2023
Bruce Harness
R136,314.50
19 Jan 2024
Balden Vogel & Partners
R149,717.98
09 Sep 2023
MC Radebe
R174,587.50
13 Aug 2023
Sehume Attorneys
R191,979.83
10 Oct 2023
Kaibe Incorporated
R225,436.48
28 Aug 2023
Bokwa Law Incorporated
R239,928.78
04 Oct 2023
Pieter Skein Attorneys
R250,000.00
09 Sep 2023
Noge Attorneys
R250,630.00
17 Nov 2023
Niemann Grobbelaar
R282,088.25
13 Oct 2023
Not specified
R311,708.19
28 Aug 2023
Bokwa Law Incorporated
R337,515.20
17 Aug 2023
Ramn Electrical Energy
R461,930.00 (court order)
25 Aug 2023
Huggert Retief Inc.
R925,379.50 (court order)
16 Jan 2023
Qhai Attorneys
R1,536,715.40
25 Nov 2023
MC Radebe
R49,450.00
A municipality on life support
Maluti-A-Phofung is a municipality permanently in ICU. Service delivery has collapsed, infrastructure is failing, and residents continue to suffer — yet millions are spent on legal fees while internal capacity exists.
This latest intervention by COGTA adds to growing evidence of systemic governance failure at MAP.
MAP is a serious indictment on ANC, how is it not in the 7 municipalities that will be disbanded?
Surely MAP is the worst-run municipality but factional battles dictate who goes and who stays at the expense of residents.
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