AN ANC ward councillor and ex-deputy mayor is facing a charge of theft after he reportedly walked out of a meeting on Friday morning with a file containing paperwork relating to an ongoing municipal investigation.
Gabriel Gumede who works in Melmoth this morning handed himself over to the investigating officer in the presence of his lawyer.
The file taken contained witness statements and investigation reports pertaining to the inquiry that led to the suspension of municipal manager, Raymond Mnguni.
Mnguni was placed on suspension earlier this year after a council decision to place him on special leave.
While unconfirmed, it is believed as a direct result of a number of issues that came under the scrutiny of the KZN Treasury Department in 2012.
The status of the report was brought into question in recent months when a well-placed source approached the Zululand Observer claiming it had been handed over to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
COGTA has yet to respond on whether the report is indeed still with the MEC, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, or if it was given to Melmoth officials with their recommendations.
Full support
The ANC on Sunday said in a statement that Cllr Gumede was in legal possession of the report in his capacity of Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee of Corporate Services.
‘Therefore, he has all the legal rights to be in possession of a document containing findings of financial mismanagement, gross corruption and maladministration in this municipality,’ said Musa Dladla Regional ANC secretary, Tholi Gwala.
‘The IFP wanted to forcefully keep the report with the mayor in order to further manipulate it.’
The statement did not mention that the report dealt with incidents that occurred at a time when the municipality was run by the ANC.
‘This investigation was conducted four years ago, and they found nothing out of order,’ said Gwala.
‘Soon after the IFP took over last year, they brought this to the fore again.
‘We are in full support of our Councillor in whatever case laid against him.
‘We will confidently defend him against the corrupt IFP in that municipality.
‘The ANC deployees in Mthonjaneni have been fighting corrupt activities and maladministration which led to the regime change and now we are noting that this corruption is supported by both IFP and the NFP, who are now sleeping in the same bed.’
Concerns
National Chairperson for the IFP Blessed Gwala said on Sunday he was concerned for the safety of the witnesses named in the report.
‘Gabriel Gumede has no right to take that file and run away with it, it means there is a serious problem happening there.
‘It seems that Cllr Gumede took the file in an attempt to protect himself and other officials possibly implicated in the investigation and also to intimidate the very same people who are witnesses, which might also lead to killings.’
Gwala said he had been informed that the investigation being handled by COGTA, delved into several projects sanctioned by the municipality.
‘I understand that in some cases the projects were paid for by the municipality, but were never completed.
‘Further, it seems that some of the companies paid for these projects are related to the suspended municipal manager, Raymond Mnguni.’
‘Gabriel Gumede has no right to take that file and run away with it, it means there is a serious problem happening there.
‘It seems that Cllr Gumede took the file in an attempt to protect himself and other officials possibly implicated in the investigation and also to intimidate the very same people who are witnesses, which might also lead to killings.
‘It must also be noted that IFP Councillors have been receiving serious threats via SMSs and letters in their pigeon holes at the municipality.’
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