A Western Cape mayor arrested on Thursday will appear in court on Monday alongside a municipal manager and a chief financial officer. The SAPS Political Killings Task Team arrested the three officials over alleged corruption linked to a security services contract at a municipality on the Southern Coast of the Western Cape.
Police have not named the municipality or the three officials. All three face charges of corruption and will appear in court on 5 October.
Why the Western Cape mayor was arrested
According to police, the arrests followed information about a businessman who held a security services contract with the municipality. Officials allegedly demanded bribes from him and threatened to end his contract if he refused to pay.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the businessman had already paid hundreds of thousands of rand. According to her, he paid out of fear that the municipality would cancel his contract.
So far, police have not revealed the exact amount or how long the alleged payments continued. Investigations are ongoing.
The Political Killings Task Team usually investigates politically linked murders. However, its work has expanded to related crimes such as corruption, which often fuel political violence in local government.
Security services contracts at municipalities have come under growing scrutiny across the country. In several provinces, investigators have linked such contracts to inflated payments, fraud and pressure on service providers.
Meanwhile, the arrests add to a busy week for law enforcement on corruption. In Gauteng, the Hawks arrested a woman over an alleged Home Affairs passport fraud scheme, while the Madlanga Commission continued to hear evidence on alleged criminal networks.
For now, the Western Cape mayor arrested this week and the two senior officials will remain in the spotlight until their court appearance on Monday.
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