Sol Plaatje's BFI manager takes special leave amid mental hospital charges
The manager of Sol Plaatje Municipality’s Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) water project, Winston Lucky Moyahi, appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court this week alongside co-accused Louis Adriaan van Niekerk, Motlalepula Elias Selemela, Ruth Palm, and Lourencia Crause. They face charges of fraud, corruption, money laundering, and contraventions of the Public Finance Management Act in connection with the Kimberley mental hospital saga.
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THE MANAGER of Sol Plaatje Municipality’s Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI), Winston Moyahi, has taken special leave with immediate effect following his appearance in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on May 28 in connection with the construction of the Kimberley mental hospital.
Municipal spokesperson Thabo Mothibi said the charges against Moyahi and several other accused were not related to his current role at the municipality.
“The charges brought against him and other accused individuals relate to his involvement with an engineering firm more than 22 years ago,” said Mothib.
He added that municipal manager Thapelo Matlala had accepted Moyahi’s request for special leave to allow the institution to reach a decision as soon as possible.
Matlala welcomed Moyahi’s decision, stating it was made in the best interests of the municipality.
“Even though the constitutional principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ must always be upheld, we appreciate Mr Moyahi’s decision, especially considering that the BFI is the municipality’s largest water infrastructure project to date.”
Matlala added that significant progress had been made to repair and refurbish the city’s bulk water infrastructure.
“Moyahi’s expertise has strengthened the execution of the BFI. However, the charges against him require us to also consider the reputational risk,” he said.