The newly appointed chief financial officer of the Vhembe District Municipality has pledged to guide the institution towards a better financial future.
"My aim as the newly appointed chief financial officer of the Vhembe District Municipality is to steer the municipality into sound financial management governance and to improve the financial health of the municipality," Ms Masana Chauke said on Tuesday.
Chauke was speaking at the executive mayor's office in Thohoyandou shortly after being officially welcomed to the position.
She thanked the VDM for entrusting her with the critical role and acknowledged the challenges ahead.
Chauke replaces Ms Mulatwa Thangavhuelelo, who left the municipality in October 2024. The district had been operating without a permanent CFO since then, hampering its financial management capabilities.
Thangavhuelelo's tenure at Vhembe was marked by controversy. During her time as CFO, the municipality never obtained an unqualified audit. She also tried to move over to the CFO's position at the Makhado Municipality, but these plans were derailed by a court ruling.
Her appointment as CFO at Makhado Municipality in August 2023 was declared unlawful, unreasonable and procedurally unfair by the Limpopo High Court. The court found that the Makhado council had disregarded the selection panel's recommendation by appointing Thangavhuelelo, who had scored 69%, over the top-scoring candidate, who had scored 81%.
Executive Mayor Freda Nkondo welcomed Chauke's appointment, describing it as coming at a crucial time. "Your appointment is a testament to your proven track record, your leadership capabilities and your commitment to ethical financial stewardship. We have full confidence that, under your guidance, the financial management arm of our municipality will grow stronger, more innovative and more responsive to the needs of our communities," Nkondo said.
The new CFO inherits a municipality with a troubled financial history. The municipality has a history of unauthorised spending, with R1.4 billion recorded in 2020/21 alone, alongside irregular expenditure of R140.6 million that same year. By 2022/23, unauthorised expenditure stood at R222.6 million.
The auditor-general estimated that 96% of VDM's debt was unrecoverable, the worst debt collection rate among municipalities in the Vhembe District.
Nkondo called on management and political colleagues to extend full cooperation to the new CFO, emphasising that collective effort and professionalism would be required to ensure the municipality remained compliant and efficient in managing public resources.