eThekwini Municipality responds to sabotage claims in Zandile Gumede's fraud trial
Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and her supporters.
Image: Nomonde Zondi
The eThekwini Municipality has on Thursday stated that it has no intention to sabotage the R320 million Durban Solid Waste (DSW) tender trial against its former mayor Zandile Gumede.
Gumede is currently on trial with 21 others at the Durban High Court for numerous charges, including money laundering, racketeering, fraud, corruption, and contravention of the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Municipal Systems Act, relating to the tender.
The Head of legal and compliance in the city, Malusi Mhlongo, said eThekwini was the complainant in Gumede's case.
'It is in our interest as the city for that matter to proceed,' he said.
Mhlongo said there were accusations that eThekwini's City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) terminated the agreement of Integrity Forensic Solutions CC (IFS) and the Hawks to sabotage Gumede's case.
He said that is not true, explaining that the agreement was entered before the former CIIU boss resigned.
The IFS is the company that investigated the DSW tender irregularities after the CIIU anonymously received a stack of documents regarding the tender.
In terms of that agreement, Mhlongo said the IFS was supposed to assist the Hawks and the prosecutors, and all their expenses were supposed to be paid by the municipality.
Mhlongo stated that the reason the agreement between the CIIU, the Hawks, and the IFS was terminated was that the former acting head of the CIIU questioned why the municipality had to bear the costs while it was the complainant.
As a result, the former acting head of CIIU terminated the agreement. He said the IFS took the municipality to court to review that decision.
'That matter is in court and it is still to be resolved,' Mhlongo added.
Additionally, he said after the city reported Gumede's matter to law enforcement authorities, it was within its rights to save further use of ratepayers' money and say it's not liable for these costs because the State is now responsible for compensating the witnesses.
Meanwhile, Gumede's case faced another setback on Thursday as the ninth accused, Bagcinile Nzuza, was ill. Nzuza is the wife of former city manager, Sipho Nzuza.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
11 hours ago
- IOL News
Former fleet supervisor jailed for demanding bribe from service provider
A former worker of the uMsunduzi Municipality has been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for demanding a bribe from a service provider. Image: File The Durban Specialised Commercial Crime Court has sentenced a former employee of Msunduzi Municipality to 10 years' direct imprisonment for demanding a R100,000 bribe from a service provider. The service provider was owed R1.5 million by the municipality. Nhlakanipho Dlamini, 46, was employed as a fleet supervisor by the municipality in January 2020. During the execution of his duties, Dlamini demanded a bribe from the service provider so that he could start processing the R1.5 million. However, he only processed R1 million and continued to demand cash to process the residue amount. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading According to the Hawks spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo, Dlamini was caught red-handed on January 17, 2020, after collecting cash from the complainant. Mhlongo stated that this followed an intensive investigation and an undercover operation. 'He appeared in court and was released on bail. On August 27, 2024, Dlamini was found guilty on two counts of corruption; hence, he was sentenced,' he said. Additionally, Mhlongo said Dlamini was sentenced to eight years' direct imprisonment for the first count of corruption and another eight years' imprisonment for the second count of corruption. 'Six years of count one and count two will run concurrently, meaning that he will effectively serve a total of 10 years' direct imprisonment,' he clarified. KwaZulu-Natal Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation Provincial Head, Major General Dr Lesetja Senona, welcomed the sentence and commended the investigating team as well as the prosecution team for the good work.
eNCA
13 hours ago
- eNCA
EC sports field tender referred to Hawks for investigation
JOHANNESBURG - The Public Protector has referred an Eastern Cape sports field tender to the Hawks. It follows a probe into the R23-million tender for the Lesseyton sports field. Advocate Kholeka Gcaleka found improper conduct on the part of the Enoch Mgijima Municipality. She found that the work done did not justify the cost incurred.
IOL News
16 hours ago
- IOL News
Kraaifontein man sentenced to life for killing two police officers
Sergeant Mnakwazo Welcome Mdoko, and Constable Mninawa Breakfast were killed in Kraaifontein. Image: Supplied A man who gunned down two police officers during a patrol in Kraaifontein has been sentenced to two life terms and 47 years in prison. Mxoleleni Sikhahla, 36, was convicted in the Western Cape High Court for the February 2021 killings of Sergeant Mnakwazo Mdoko and Constable Mninawa Breakfast. The sentence was handed down on Wednesday, June 19, 2025, following Sikhahla's conviction on nine of 10 charges. The murders took place in the early hours of February 28, 2021, when Sergeant Mdoko, 44, and Constable Breakfast, 32, were ambushed while on patrol in Nondakuthini Street, Bloekombos. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Warrant Officer Zinzi Hani, spokesperson for the Hawks, said the officers were seated in their patrol vehicle when they were attacked. 'They were fatally shot while in their patrol vehicle,' Hani said. 'It was further reported that Mdoko and Breakfast were declared dead on the scene and their official firearms were robbed in the early hours of 28 February 2021.' The officers were ambushed at about 1.25am, according to the investigation. Sikhahla was found guilty on two counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition, three counts of possession of a prohibited firearm, and contravention of the Firearms Control Act. He was acquitted on one charge of attempted murder. The court ordered that the sentences on all counts except the first would run concurrently with one of the life sentences, resulting in Sikhahla effectively serving life imprisonment. He was also declared unfit to possess a firearm. The attempted murder charge arose from the shooting of a woman who was also in the police vehicle during the incident. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said she was shot in the head and initially not accounted for. 'Please note that the attempted murder charge against Mxoleleni Sikhhala relates to a woman who was shot in the head. She was also in the police van,' he said. A police source close to the investigation said the woman's presence only became known later. 'When cops arrived in Phumla Street, there were only two occupants in the van. 'There was a trail of blood, and at the time, no one suspected that there was a person there. It was only discovered about a day later that there was a woman who was also shot during the incident.'
