DA says complainants in Gwamanda case receive intimidating phone calls

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it has seen an affidavit where complainants claimed they feel intimidated by phone calls demanding roughly the same amount of money former Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda allegedly swindled them.

Gwamanda, an Al Jama-ah councillor who was MMC of Community Development in his last post before he was fired on 9 November, was arrested for fraud.

He is accused of running a funeral policy scam through his entity, iThemba Lama Afrika, between 2011 and 2012, defrauding Soweto residents.

Last week, Gwamanda threatened the Speaker of Council, Nobuhle Mthembu, with court action if he was not reinstated by Thursday morning. This did not happen, and ANC regional secretary in Johannesburg, Sasa Manganye told The Citizen it was “not an option”.

‘Interference’ in Gwamanda case

DA caucus leader in Johannesburg Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku on Monday said her party has seen a sworn statement alleging interference with complainants in the case.

She said her party condemns “in the strongest terms” this alleged agenda to destabilise the case.

“The alleged interference involved a person telephoning complainants in the fraud matter, at times representing themselves to be an investigating officer and at times claiming to be representing Gwamanda’s lawyers, but at all times seeking to intimidate the complainant into a settlement of the matter,” the DA caucus leader said.

“If true, this attempt to destabilise the case or have the complaints withdrawn would amount to a serious interference in the proceedings of the investigation and prosecution.”

She said acts of intimidation and circumventing the rule of law cannot be allowed to stand.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the complainants, in their statement, made it clear they feel intimidated by the phone calls. The demands were also around how much Gwamanda owes them.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku says the fact that ANC provincial leader Panyaza Lesufi admitted no vetting of Gwamanda took place before the ANC, EFF and PA coalition supported him for mayor has “left them with a large egg on their faces”.

DA still fighting Joburg’s controversial bodyguard policy

Last week, Kayser-Echeozonjoku spoke to media outside the high court where the DA is challenging the controversial policy that allows the mayor and other officials to have bodyguards and heightened security in violation of the allowable upper limits.

Earlier this year, The Citizen reported that this policy had allowed the then-mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to drive around in a fleet of luxurious cars with at least 10 bodyguards.

Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the current mayor, Dada Morero of the ANC, should be ashamed that this “unlawful” policy is still in play while Johannesburg is suffering terrible service delivery.

Additional reporting by Itumeleng Mafisa