If you can’t stand the heat…

■ Joe Dreyer

Last week, Bulletin reported the resignation of the controversial Head of Traffic at the GTM, Johannes Malatji amid investigations into the ongoing water tanker saga. According to our sources Malatji resigned with 24 hours’ notice on the 7th of March.

In our investigations into the water tanker saga, Bulletin discovered that Malatji owned at least one of the water tankers and it was claimed that a family member owns at least one more. The GTM’s head of Communications, Neville Ndlala admitted this. The GTM even admitted that they knew Malatji was reselling the water drawn from the hydrants in town, in the rural areas.

We sent our inquiries to the spokesperson of the GTM, Vutivi Makhubele to find some answers to the sudden exit of one of the municipality’s longest serving employees.

“Johannes Malatji has rendered his resignation as Manager for Law Enforcement on the 7th of March 2023. He has opted for early retirement due to his personal reasons. Malatji was appointed on the 1st of February 2006,” Makhubele said.

We asked her how many water tankers Malatji owns and her response was that the GTM never asked him. “That is his personal information that was never requested by the municipality.”

Malatji was the GTM’s manager and law enforcer of their Traffic Department, and despite the fight by the DA to have him held accountable for many of the wrong doings within area of responsibility, he remained in his position of power.

One person who has fought relentlessly to pressurize the municipality to remove Malatji, was DA Councillor, René Pohl, who first put in a motion to council on the 29th of November in 2011, regarding the first illegal street hawker who setup shop under the bridge over the R71 road. It was at that time alleged that the vehicle used by the illegal hawker, was registered to a member of council, MH Machete, who was the husband of the illegal hawker.

The GTM claimed that the R71 was the property of SANRAL and that they had no jurisdiction over that road.

Again in 2013, it was alleged that Malatji was being investigated by the Hawks after his lifestyle was placed under scrutiny when allegation arose that he owned three minibus taxis which he reportedly did not declare to the GTM. The DA further alleged that Malatji was the brother-in-law of Obby Mkombo, the then director of Community Services at the GTM.

In 2015 Pohl again submitted questions to council regarding the escalation of several illegal activities in Tzaneen due to non-implementation of GTM policies, by-laws and law enforcement. Later that year Pohl lodged a motion of no confidence against Malatji’s Law Enforcement Department.

Essentially every since then, Pohl has been relentless in her assault against the corruption within specific departments in the GTM, specifically the law enforcement arm under Malatji’s command. Bulletin fought the fight alongside Pohl 13 years ago through the pen of the late Francois Aucamp, and we continue this fight now.

The DA Provincial office has lauded work done by Pohl who has since been appointed the DA Tzaneen Caucus head and they have welcomed Malatji’s resignation. “It is claimed as a victory for the ongoing pressure the DA has been applying since 2011 on the Greater Tzaneen Municipality.”