Executive Mayor Nqaba Bhanga notes and welcomes reports of the arrest of four former Nelson Mandela Bay municipal officials and three company directors. These arrests relate to the irregular awarding of a tender to Milongani Eco Consulting, with the accused facing charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering.
Former DA Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Athol Trollip, initiated the investigation
into this dodgy deal in March 2017. The investigation discovered that the tender, awarded in
2015, was no more than a municipal cash cow through which about R25.6-million of
ratepayers’ money was funneled.
These arrests come on the back of an update Mayor Bhanga provided on 27 July 2021
regarding Internal Audit reports and actions being taken to tackle corruption and bring back
good governance in Nelson Mandela Bay. When Mayor Bhanga was elected as Executive
Mayor in December 2020 he made a firm and unwavering commitment to stamping out
corruption in Nelson Mandela Bay. He made it very clear that the coalition of good governance
would hold the administration, municipal officials and politicians to the highest standard and
would not tolerate any impropriety.
The Metro’s Internal Audit department are currently investigating 153 cases of possible
irregular contracts, 16 of which have been referred to them since Mayor Bhanga took office,
many emanating from his Office. A number of these cases are also under investigation by law
enforcement agencies – and the coalition of good governance will ensure that the Nelson
Mandela Bay Municipality cooperates and provides all information required.
During the period of 2016 – 2018 when the DA and its Coalition Partners governed Nelson
Mandela Bay – dodgy deals were stopped in their tracks, those days are back!