By: Abigail Visagie

Mercy Phetla’s prospects are increasingly becoming bleak as her fight-back strategy and support wane

Dark clouds seem to be gathering swiftly around the former City of Matlosana Local Municipality Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mercy Phetla, who is fighting tooth and nail to ward off several criminal charges she is currently facing. Phetla, who is entangled in two distinct criminal cases comprising alleged corruption, fraud, and money laundering, has her back against the wall as she faces imminent dismissal from her municipal role, while the legal net is also slowly but surely closing in on her. A council sitting that was convened yesterday, 22 January 2026, to deliberate on a scathing disciplinary report that recommended Phetla’s immediate dismissal degenerated into political theatre. The sitting failed to reach a quorum due to ANC council members staging walkouts, while the Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the City’s Executive Mayor and Speaker, Stella Mondlane-Ngwenya, of deliberately withholding the original report from the council’s agenda. Mondlane-Ngwenya stated that the postponement was crucial as the Municipal Manager was not present, and a legal team had to be available to reveal the findings against Phetla. There is some speculation, however, that the walkouts were staged to “shield” Phetla from being held to account for the allegations she is facing. This politically driven tactic came as a shock since the provincial chairperson of the party, Nono Maloyi, previously indicated that the ANC would act against councillors who fail to comply with the law - yet the exact opposite transpired in the council meeting. Maloyi was quoted as warning that adherence to the constitution and legislative framework remains the only legitimate basis for resolving municipal matters. He further stressed that any attempt to bypass or dilute these processes has the potential to weaken local government rather than strengthening it. This stance originally pleased the opposition party, the DA, and for a rare moment, it seemed that the two parties were in accordance. In another instance, the DA has already welcomed a significant decision taken at the Mahikeng High Court in September last year, to dismiss an urgent application brought by Phetla to halt disciplinary action against her. It is believed Phetla attempted to stop the hearings, claiming they were a political method used to weaponise the law and discard her. However, the disciplinary inquiry was finalised late last year, leading to the CFO being charged with gross misconduct, dishonesty, and dereliction of duty. Although Phetla pleaded not guilty to all five charges, she was found guilty on every count. Among the findings, Phetla was held responsible for an unauthorised payment of R2.9 million to a company called Variegated (Pty) Ltd for electrical materials that were ultimately never delivered. She was further pertinently charged with going beyond her delegated authority. While it is established that a municipal manager can only authorise up to R1.5 million, Phetla bypassed these regulations to authorise the R2.9 million payment. The third charge involved wasteful expenditure amounting to R528 000, which caused significant financial turmoil and loss to the Matlosana Municipality. Furthermore, Phetla was found to have received and accepted gratification in the form of a Volkswagen Amarok worth R1.4 million from a municipal service provider, GMHM Construction and Projects. This led to her being found guilty of bringing the municipality into disrepute. Although Phetla claimed she purchased the vehicle herself, she failed dismally to back this unsolicited claim with evidence. To add more fuel to the fire, it was alleged that the CFO’s bail was paid by the son of a director at GMHM. Besides this gift, Phetla has been linked to various other luxurious assets, such as a Porsche, a Range Rover, and a Maserati, allegedly bought with municipal funds. The Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) has already attained preservation orders for these vehicles, yet the embattled CFO continues to deny she owns them. AFU communications officer, Kelebogile Moleko, confirmed that the council has not yet sat to finalise the matter and could not comment further by the time of print.