Polokwane Municipality Executive Mayor John Maloro Mpe, who is alleged to issue tenders through nepotism.

Corruption, cronies & chaos a R227 Million tender scandal implodes under Mayor Mpe’s watch 

Mathipa Phishego  

The Polokwane Municipality is engulfed in a corruption firestorm, as damning revelations suggest brazen double-dealings and tender manipulation to the tune of R227 million all under the nose, if not the blessing, of Executive Mayor John Mpe. 

At the heart of this unfolding scandal are two companies, Brunnel Engineering and Iceberg Trading reportedly steered by the same shadowy figure and handed municipal projects worth hundreds of millions in 2023. Many of these contracts now lie in ruins being incomplete, duplicated, and dripping with questionable invoices. 

InsideOutNews sources allege that one man, known only as Londo, enjoyed red-carpet access  

to the public purse. His companies were allegedly prioritized for payment, even as legitimate contractors were starved of funds.  

“We were told there’s no money. But Londo’s entities walked away with R225 million. Some work wasn’t even finished. The rot is deep,” said a source asking for anonymity. The scandal strikes at the core of Mayor Mpe’s administration, raising serious questions about his leadership, political will, and complicity.  

These are not isolated irregularities they point  

to a culture of sanctioned theft, protected insiders, and a procurement system weaponized for personal enrichment. Municipal employees, fed up with being forced to rubber-stamp fraud, are reportedly “spilling the beans left, right, and centre.” Exposing what may be one of the biggest municipal swindles in Limpopo recent memory. 

As the scandal metastasizes, public outrage is reaching boiling point. They are demanding  

Mpe’s immediate suspension and a full-scale forensic investigation. Many are now questioning how the municipality boasted a “clean audit.” While R227 million in suspect deals went unnoticed or worse, unchallenged. 

Mayor Mpe has gone to ground, dodging media inquiries. While the finance and supply chain departments are hiding behind internal reviews to avoid accountability. 

But the silence won’t hold, Mpe is expected to face the press today at 13h00 at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium. For a mayor whose administration is drowning in allegations. Today may be his last chance to convince the public that he is not steering the ship straight into the rocks.