The charges against Mr Nathi Madondo have been dropped by the national director of public prosecutions. It is alleged that there was not enough evidence and no grounds for the case to proceed.
The arrest of the former uThukela acting municipal manager and chief financial officer was linked to a forensic investigation commissioned by Co-operative Governance MEC Nomusa Dube. Mr Madondo was released on R10,000 bail and the investigation resulted in several high-profile people appearing in court. These included former uThukela mayor Mr Stanley Dladla, who appeared along with service provider Jeetendra Singh and others.
Mr Madondo is alleged to have accepted gifts worth about R135,000 from Jeetendra Singh. The nature of the gifts was not disclosed in the charge sheet. Service provider Jeetendra Singh was also arrested and it is alleged that they defrauded uThukela to the tune of millions of rands. It was reported that officials allegedly ripped off R12 million from municipal coffers in a water scam. Fake damage claims and subsequent repairs were reported when in fact the water supply had just been turned off in some instances. It was turned on again and a claim was sent for material used. When an investigation into tankers delivering water to certain areas was conducted, it was found that the licence plates (vehicle registration) of the so-called tankers actually belonged to taxis and other vehicles, none of them capable of carrying water.
Mr Madondo denies having any involvement in the water scams. “My issues were about the allegations of the gifts. The water had nothing to do with me. I believe that it was just used to make the story bigger, as I was not in charge of water at all,” says Mr Madondo.
