Durban Mayor, Zandile Gumede In Hot Water!


By Joburg Post

eThekwini Municipality Mayor Zandile Gumede faces a raft of charges relating to a Durban Solid Waste (DSW) tender. 

Gumede was accused no 16 when she appeared in the Durban Specialised Commercial Court alongside Councillor Mondli Mthembu and a service provider Craig Ponnan, of  El Shaddai Holdings group cc, on Tuesday. 

They were arrested as part of the Hawks’ National Clean Audit Task Team (NCATT) investigation at the Ethekwini Municipality into an R208 million DSW tender where service providers were allegedly paid huge amounts of monies even though they did not render any service.

The other suspects include Ethekwini Municipality Deputy Head of Strategy and New Development Robert Abbu (62), Supply Chain Manager Sandile Ngcobo (41), Hlenga Sibisi (43), Mzwandile Dludla (24), Sinthamone Ponnan (55), Sithulele Mkhize (38), Bongani Dlomo (53), and Prabagaram Pariah (61).

"As indicated previously, the attendance of all those who played a role in the alleged offences, shall be secured before court where the allegations shall be tested." 

said the National Head of the DPCI, Godfrey Lebeya.



These are the charges they face:

1: Fraud and also fraud by omission

2: Corruption

3: Contravention of sections and penalty clause of the municipal finance management act

4: Contravention of sections 3 and 21 of the prevention and combating of corrupt activities act

5: Contraventions of the prevention of organised crime act

6: Contravention of the local government municipal act

7: Contravention of the righteous assembly act

The mayor of eThekwini Metro, Zandile Gumede, has been granted on R50,000 bail after handing herself over to the Hawks on Tuesday morning.

Gumede’s bail comes with strict restrictions. The mayor is forbidden from communicating with any officials linked to auditing at DSW; communicating with anyone involved in supply chain management; communicating with any legal or financial employees in the KZN metro; or communicating with any of its operating staff.

She also may not access any documents relating to her investigation, leave South Africa or KZN without police notice, or change her residential address.

Magistrate Dawn Somaroo emphasised the seriousness of the conditions attached to Gumede’s bail.

“Due to intimidation and threats, investigations had to be brought forward. These conditions are strict and any hint of these conditions directly or indirectly violated, you will be brought back to court to see if you violated conditions,”

 she said.

“If they are found to have been violated, bail will be revoked and you will be in custody for the remainder of the matter.”
-JP

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