Lack of accountability for Bitou corruption continues

Last month, Bitou Municipality’s Chief Financial Officer, Chris Mapeyi, stated that the municipality owes its former municipal manager, Mbulelo Memani, R279,655.46. This assessment follows a payment of R4,243,752 made to Memani on 27 July 2024 by the ANC-led Council under a mutual separation agreement.

On 31 October 2024, the High Court ordered the DA-led Council to recover this sum. Over 282 days, payments on Memani’s behalf were reconciled, on 2 May 2025, 25 June 2025, and 3 July 2025 (the latter including seven transactions between R1,900 and R199,900), along with a salary adjustment on 25 February 2025.

A SARS repayment of R1,909,688.40, date unspecified, was factored in. Yet interest on the court-ordered balance of R2,334,063.60, accruing from 31 October 2024 to 27 July 2025, totals R307,654.34, and is unaddressed in Mapeyi’s figures. If correct, Memani might owe Bitou at least R27,998.88 (R307,654.34 less R279,655.46), subject to timing adjustments for SARS and other payments. Memani’s lawyer, Bulelani Jerome Bans, has pressed for immediate settlement.

Memani’s time in Bitou has been contentious, and beset with corruption. Appointed in April 2022 despite lingering disciplinary matters from his stint as Knysna’s CFO, where he encountered allegations of administrative misconduct.

As Steve Pattinson of Plett Ratepayers said a month ago,

“we have been relentless in our pressure on Bitou to comply with the court order of October 2024 for the Municipal Manager, Mbulelo Memani to repay his R4.2m settlement award granted in May 2024.  In addition to letters to the Mayor, we also wrote to Helen Zille as well as requested information through a PAIA. We are very pleased to report that Bitou Mayor Kamkam is finally enforcing a Writ of Execution issued against the Municipal Manager, Mbulelo Memani, to attach his assets. We applaud the Mayor for taking this long-overdue step. We continue, however, to demand evidence that SARS actually refunded the R1.9 million withheld from Memani’s irregular payout.  Also that Bulelani Bans has repaid Bitou for the legal fees wrongly paid on Memani’s behalf.  We are also questioning the ‘offsets’ that were made to Memani to reduce the payback amount.”

Suspended in February 2024, Memani exited in April 2024 via the disputed R4.2 million deal. On 18 October 2024, the Western Cape High Court declared this agreement illegal, mandating full repayment. By June 2025, Memani had returned R800,000; unpaid amounts triggered asset seizures in July 2025.

Opposition groups have charged him with contempt of court and fund misuse, lodging criminal complaints.Bitou’s political landscape has been unsteady. The DA-led coalition, comprising the DA, IPM and AUF, held a fragile majority, disrupted by no-confidence motions and governance disputes. The PDC’s exit, citing poor collaboration and financial oversight, deepened the turmoil. The ANC and others have seized on Memani’s case to critique the DA’s stewardship.

The Democratic Alliance, regaining Bitou’s reins in August 2024, has stumbled over corruption claims. Long touted as a cleaner alternative to the ANC, the DA’s record is under scrutiny across municipalities. In Bitou, its emphasis on service delivery rather than purging civil service rot has been faulted for perpetuating past ills. The shielding of figures like ex-mayor Memory Booysen, despite misconduct accusations, has fueled doubts about its anti-corruption resolve, aspecially since his promotion to Provincial Parliament.

This pattern reverberates across the Garden Route District, where mismanagement and political flux hinder sound administration.Broader ImplicationsThe Memani saga lays bare South Africa’s municipal governance woes. Financial lapses and political gamesmanship routinely erode accountability, sapping public confidence. Bitou’s predicament underscores the urgency of clear, effective oversight. The case’s resolution will likely shape regional trust and politics, spotlighting the need for robust controls.

Memani’s career troubles predate Bitou. As Knysna’s CFO, he was linked to irregular spending on water meters, leaving a trail of unresolved issues. His 2022 appointment to Bitou raised eyebrows, and his tenure there only amplified the criticism. The court’s October 2024 ruling against his exit package marked a legal rebuke to a process already mired in doubt.

Bitou’s instability reflects wider municipal trends. The DA-led coalition’s slim hold was tested by internal rifts and external pressures. The PDC’s withdrawal highlighted fissures over financial discipline, while opposition voices amplified the Memani fallout. The ANC, though itself no stranger to scandal, has leveraged the situation to question DA competence.

The DA’s governance narrative is fraying. Its service-first approach in Bitou, while pragmatic, has left administrative weaknesses unaddressed. Booysen’s protection, amid misconduct claims, mirrors broader DA struggles to reconcile its clean-governance brand with local realities. In the Garden Route, such failures compound chronic fiscal and political challenges.