Ekurhuleni suspends Monyepao amid allegations of negligence that led to R2 billion revenue shortfall

JOHANNESBURG - The City of Ekurhuleni’s chief information officer, Moloko Monyepao, has been suspended amid allegations of negligence that led to substantial revenue losses.

In the first quarter of the financial year, the city recorded a R2 billion revenue shortfall due to a billing system failure, which allowed some households and businesses to underpay for electricity.

Over 1,600 accounts were tampered with, leading to either the complete erasure of outstanding balances or significantly reduced charges.

Monyepao, who heads the city’s ICT department responsible for overseeing the billing system, is accused of failing to maintain proper administrative oversight.

Last week, ewn exclusively revealed that Ekurhuleni’s chief information officer, Moloko Monyepao, had been given seven days to provide reasons to the city manager as to why he should not be suspended following allegations of negligence in fulfilling his duties.

The tampering of electricity accounts, which resulted in manipulation of the city’s billing system, reportedly began in July 2023 and continued until the city identified a revenue shortfall in the first quarter of the current financial year.

Questions have since emerged regarding how Monyepao, whose ICT department is responsible for overseeing the system, failed to detect the irregularities, raising suspicions about his potential involvement in the syndicate believed to have cost the metro R2 billion.

The city has stated Monyepao’s suspension is necessary to preserve the integrity of the investigation, which now includes an independent probe by the auditor-general.

Meanwhile, households and businesses whose accounts were tampered with will be required to repay the city for the amounts they were undercharged.