North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi has testified before a provincial committee, claiming that affidavits from municipal employees reveal a plot against him. He described communications among the witnesses as evidence of a coordinated effort to undermine him. The testimony addresses allegations of improper conduct raised last year.
North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi appeared before the North West Legislature’s Ad Hoc Committee on Saturday to conclude his testimony. The committee is investigating allegations of improper conduct against him, stemming from claims made by Naledi Local Municipality Mayor Clifton Groep during a parliamentary oversight visit in September 2023.
Groep alleged that Mokgosi, then serving as ANC Chief Whip at the legislature, instructed former municipal employee Thabo Appolus to alter a report related to the appointment of Municipal Manager Modisenyane Segapo. This incident reportedly occurred in 2023.
In his response, Mokgosi pointed to affidavits submitted by Thabo Sejake, an employee of Naledi Local Municipality, Thabo Appolus, and Modisenyane Segapo. He argued that these documents, along with presented chats, demonstrate a plot. Mokgosi stated: “Now listening to the discussion of people who made affidavits I then now realise that having not responded to that message was a correct instinct because it proved that Apolous, Segapo and Sejake had been communicating amongst themselves, they have been plotting the Mokgosi must fall campaign. Even the messages that are there are concocted.”
The premier's testimony highlights tensions within the committee proceedings, as it directly counters the earlier accusations. The Ad Hoc Committee was established specifically to probe these claims of misconduct.
