Since taking office as mayor of uMngeni in November 2021, Chris Pappas has managed to balance the municipality’s budget for the first time in over a decade. Photo: The Witness
uMngeni mayor Christopher Pappas and his municipality have been slapped with a R10 million demand for defamation and reputational damage.
If he does not meet this demand, he and the municipality will be dragged before the courts for the matter to be heard.
This came after Pappas publicly claimed that Mhlanga Incorporated, a law firm, which was hired as an independent investigator to provide advice to council on corruption allegations that were levelled against former municipal manager, Thembeka Cibane, had triple-charged the municipality for its services.
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The Durban-based law firm is run by lawyer Sthembelo Ralph Mhlanga.
Pappas reportedly said the municipality was saddled with a huge legal bill in the last financial year (2021/22) from Mhlanga Incorporated.
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He said a preliminary investigation revealed that Mhlanga Incorporated had seriously overcharged the municipality. He said the firm had taken advantage of a time-bound and serious matter that was faced by the municipality at the time.
In a document addressed to the municipality, the company stated that on August 31, 2021, it was appointed by former mayor Sizwe Sokhela as an independent investigator to investigate allegations of misconduct against the then municipal manager Thembeka Cibane.
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