A former municipal manager of the Vhembe District Municipality, Reuben Rambado, will have to return to court in mid-July to defend himself against corruption-related charges.
Rambado (64) appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Giyani earlier this month, where he was charged with contraventions of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The matter was previously scheduled to be heard from 10 to 13 June.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional court spokesperson Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi confirmed that the matter was partly heard in the Giyani court. She said it relates to alleged interference in recruitment processes that resulted in specific candidates being appointed.
“During 2018, it is alleged that he influenced and/or instructed members of interviewing panels to have certain candidates appointed in posts that were advertised, and this subsequently happened,” she said.
The matter has been postponed and is now scheduled to return to the same court on 13, 14 and 16 July for further hearing.
Rambado was appointed municipal manager at the Vhembe District Municipality in June 2017, at a time when the municipality made numerous investments at VBS Mutual Bank. This was not his first tenure as a municipal manager — he previously held the same position at Makhado Municipality, where he was suspended in July 2004 over allegations of mismanagement. He later received a golden handshake and was redeployed as a chief director in the Department of Communications.