Corruption case of Zandile Gumede and co-accused heads to High Court
In a late and unexpected comeback, the State has finally been able to indict former eThekwini mayor and KZN legislature MPL, Zandile Gumede, and her 20 co-accused with corruption and the charge sheet reveals how she, her relatives and the ANC in eThekwini, among scores of dubious beneficiaries, scored cash in kickbacks.
The matter was heard by magistrate Dawn Somaroo on Tuesday and it has since been moved to the Durban High Court for a pre-trial hearing, with the first sitting billed for June 14.
In the 347-page indictment, the State starts by outlining how the grand scheme to loot the coffers of the municipality started late in 2016, when Gumede took over as mayor after a bruising political battle with former mayor, James Nxumalo.
The State alleges that Gumede, on ascending to the municipal throne, spoke about “radical economic transformation” and said the policy would be explained to ANC councillors by senior councillor Mondli Mthembu (also from the ANC and a backer of Gumede), one of the co-accused in the high profile trial.
It further alleged Gumede and Mthembu then co-opted other councillors (whom they once told in a meeting that they were aware of their personal financial difficulties) to make sure that they benefit in the awarding of the R320 million (revised down from R389m after excluding VAT) for Durban Solid Waste (DSW). Gumede and Mthembu then allegedly roped in the suspended eThekwini city manager to join them in their alleged grand scheme of corruption.
It was Sipho Nzuza who realised that there was a senior municipality official called Ray Rampersad who was giving them a headache.
To bypass Rampersad, Nzuza, with the blessing of Gumede, appointed Robert Abbu as head of “special projects” and the alleged looting began. Abbu then had the leeway of bypassing Rampersad while implementing irregular instructions by claiming that he was reporting to “City Hall” where the mayor and city manager sits.
“During October 2017, Abbu was appointed by the city manager, Sipho Nzuza, as the ’Head Special Projects’. This post did not exist in the establishment of eThekwini and is not funded. Nzuza did not follow the established protocols in appointing Abbu to the position. Mr Nzuza was instructed by Gumede and Mthembu to appoint Abbu into the position,” the State alleges in the extensive charge sheet.
When the grand corruption finally took off, the State alleges that Abbu, Gumede and Nzuza regularly communicated via their cellphones and discussed tenders.
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Things just took an unexpected turn on The River 1 Magic – it appears fan-favourite and villain Lindiwe Dikana’s days of doing as she pleases and getting away with it could be coming to an end.
After killing her daughter Tumi in season 3’s finale to save her herself, fans wondered how they would keep the storyline lit after losing a prominent member of the cast – reviews that followed labelled the drama as dull and boring up until recently. Learn more
Source: IOL
