File photo: Former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede (in red) along with her accused in a pack courtroom at the Durban High Court. Photo: Thabiso Goba/The Witness
The fraud and corruption trial of former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and her 21 co-accused is expected to resume on Monday in the Durban High Court.
The former mayor and her co-accused – persons and companies – face several charges, including:
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The trial began in August last year when the State read the charges to the accused during pre-trial proceedings.
Gumede and her co-accused pleading not guilty to the charges preferred against them.
The State alleges that eThekwini officials, including the former city manager Sipho Nzuza, circumvented the supply chain management processes on the multimillion-rand DSW tender to benefit identified persons and service providers.
The State also alleges that Gumede and her co-accused received R2 881 350 in kickbacks between January 2017 and July 2019, to ensure the predetermined businesses benefited from waste contracts.
The accused have always maintained their innocence in the matter, with Gumede claiming that the charges against her are politically motivated.
Gumede, a serving member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, claims she did not take part in or influence supply chain management processes during her tenure as eThekwini mayor.
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