This claim comes after one of Zandile Gumede’s co-accused – the city’s deputy head of supply chain management, Sandile Ngcobo – was brought back to work and assigned to a new department this week.
Zandile Gumede. Picture: @eThekwiniM/Twitter
DURBAN – The DA in eThekwini is claiming that former Mayor Zandile Gumede is still influencing procedures within the eThekwini municipality.
This comes after one of Gumede’s co-accused – the city’s deputy head of supply chain management, Sandile Ngcobo, – was brought back to work and assigned to a new department this week.
Ngcobo had been on suspension since January this year after fresh charges emerged in the eThekwini waste collection tender scandal, but he’ll now work in the city’s disaster management unit.
Another key official, Robert Abbu, who was a senior manager in the Durban Solid Waste Department – was allowed to retire with full municipality benefits last month.
eThekwini municipal investigations have identified Ngcobo and Abbu as the key players in tender fraud estimated at over R400 million.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said he had tackled corrupt officials since taking over the position last year, but the DA’s Nicole Graham disagrees.
“Despite the mayor’s tough talk on corruption and some minor improvements, Gumede and co still seem to be pulling all the strings in eThekwini.”
She said Kaunda needed to account.
“Why haven’t they attempted to dismiss Robert Abbu and Sandile Ngcobo? Why is Sandile Ngcobo suddenly back at work after being suspended?”
Graham said very little had changed in eThekwini because politicians and municipal officials accused of corruption still influenced operations within the municipality.