In a stunning betrayal of political loyalty, embattled Madibeng Mayor Douglas Maimane has been caught on a leaked audio recording allegedly offering opposition councillors R200,000 to launch a sabotage campaign against his own party, the African National Congress (ANC). The clandestine meeting, which took place on 10 March at the Amigos Guesthouse in Brits, reveals a mayor so embittered by internal party friction that he appears ready to burn down the house he helped build.
The 30-minute recording, obtained by the Sunday Times, captures Maimane addressing African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor Peter Tsheola and Forum for Service Delivery (FSD) councillor Sechaba Sekgotho. During the conversation, Maimane repeatedly promises the substantial payout to organise a public campaign aimed at discrediting the ANC ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
“I was talking to the MM [municipal manager],” Maimane is heard saying on the tape, referring to Quiet Kgatla, who joined the meeting via speakerphone. “That’s why I wanted Stan to be here — so that you gents don’t expect millions. We must tell each other face-to-face, unless you want things that cannot happen. But the MM will help where he can.”
The "Stan" mentioned in the recording is believed to be Stanley Komape, an EFF councillor in Madibeng who was apparently expected but failed to attend the initial gathering. Maimane’s frustration with the ANC in the North West is palpable throughout the audio; he claims the provincial leadership is interfering in the municipality’s operations and wrongly suspended him.
In a moment of startling candour, Maimane tells the opposition councillors that he is in his final term and no longer cares what happens to the ANC. He explicitly encourages them to tell voters not to support the party and to feed a specific narrative to the media. He mentions TimesLIVE by name, suggesting the councillors describe the situation in Madibeng as a “circus” caused entirely by ANC infighting, while insisting there are no issues with service delivery.
“This boy Sydney Monnakgotla [Save SA councillor] goes to TimesLIVE saying the people are demanding that the mayor and the MM account. What do we account for that boy?” Maimane asks rhetorically on the recording.
The plot, however, seems to have been as paranoid as it was ambitious. Maimane warned the councillors that their phones could be bugged and instructed them not to visit his home or call him frequently to avoid raising "alarm bells." To sweeten the deal and ensure the "bravery" he demanded, Maimane allegedly offered each councillor R500 for "petrol money" at the end of the meeting, promising that Kgatla would facilitate further funding for the anti-ANC campaign.
“I tell the MM that our defence is from the EFF — from Stan, Sekhotho, Tsheole and that boy from ACDP. And when these guys come to me asking for money on a Saturday … I’d be having the last R2,000,” Maimane is heard saying.
The fallout from the discovery of the recording has been swift. Upon realising the meeting had been taped, Maimane reportedly sent lawyers’ letters to the councillors involved, threatening legal action if the audio was disseminated. The letters accuse the councillors of recording the mayor unlawfully.
When approached for comment, Sekgotho declined to speak, stating the matter was now with his lawyers. AIC councillor Tsheola claimed he knew nothing about the recording, while ACDP councillor Bonginkosi Chiya, who reportedly attended a second meeting with Maimane and Kgatla, denied being present and refused to answer questions about a planned "peaceful march" scheduled for 24 March. Interestingly, the application for that march was filed just one week after the secret guesthouse meeting.
The secret deal reportedly collapsed when the promised R200,000 failed to materialise. However, for Maimane, the damage may already be irreparable. The mayor was already under intense scrutiny following a damning forensic report commissioned by North West Co-operative Governance MEC Oageng Molapisi. That report, which Maimane allegedly tried to suppress, revealed a municipality in total collapse, plagued by rampant corruption and maladministration.
The forensic probe found that Madibeng had appointed multiple service providers for the same jobs, while millions of rands intended for Eskom and water boards were diverted into private bank accounts. The report also noted that officials suspected of serious wrongdoing were often allowed to return to work without any proper investigation.
Municipal Manager Quiet Kgatla, who is implicated by the recording as the "help" in Maimane’s bribery scheme, has also remained defiant. In a WhatsApp message to journalists, Kgatla dismissed the inquiry as "journalism games" and refused to comment until he was provided with the audio clip.
For the residents of Madibeng—a municipality that includes the economically vital areas of Brits and Hartbeespoort—the scandal is a grim confirmation of the "circus" Maimane spoke of. As the ANC provincial leadership weighs its next move, the leaked audio stands as a testament to a leadership culture where public funds and political loyalty are traded in guesthouses, while the services the people pay for remain a secondary concern.
Maimane’s spokesperson, Thabo Skhosana, acknowledged receiving questions but has yet to provide a formal response. As the recording circulates through the political corridors of the North West, the "petrol money" mayor may find that his final term ends much sooner than he anticipated.
