Staff reporter
Bethlehem – The corruption case against Patrick Mothamaha, former Municipal Manager of Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, has been postponed to 23 April 2026 to allow him to secure legal representation.
Mothamaha allegedly authorised a R1.9 million payment for electricity transformers that were never delivered.
He was arrested and appeared in court on 18 November 2025, where he was granted R10 000 bail. The matter was initially postponed to 22 January 2026.
According to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI), company Lesedi Khanya was awarded a tender in 2021 to install electricity transformers. However, the transformers were never delivered.
It later emerged that Letseng Isaak had submitted an invoice of R1.9 million, which was authorised by Mothamaha. The municipality processed the payment, allegedly resulting in financial loss.
In 2022, then Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Godfrey Lebeya, revealed that 44 corruption cases involving municipalities in the Free State were under investigation.
Years later, not a single municipality in the province has received a clean audit. The South African Human Rights Commission has also criticised municipalities over poor service delivery.
DPCI spokesperson Col Zweli Moholobeli said the case has been postponed.
”Case postponed to 23 April 2026 for legal representation.”
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